European Championship
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2023 Rugby League European Championship
SportRugby league
Founded1935 (1935)
No. of teams8 (as of 2023)
CountryEurope
Most recent
champion(s)		 France (9th title)
Most titles England (14 titles)
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toEuropean Championship B
Official websiteOfficial website

The Rugby League European Championship (formerly known as the European Cup and European Nations Cup) is a rugby league football tournament for European national teams that was first held in 1935.

Originally, the European Cup had three teams, with England, Wales and France each playing each other once. Unlike the Tri-Nations series, there was no final; the team finishing at the top of the group was deemed the winner. From 1949 to 1956, a fourth Other Nationalities team entered the European Cup.

From 2003 to 2009, the tournament featured six teams, and the presence of a final. Between 2014 and 2018, the European Championship was reduced to four teams. 2020 saw a massive expansion with promotion and relegation introduced.

History

1935–1996: Original competition

The French captain, Georges Ailleres, carried on his teammates' shoulders after a win against England during the 1969-70 tournament.

The Rugby League European Championships was originally a tri-nations tournament between England, Wales, and France playing each other in a single round robin. The tournament was played annually, with the exception of the years of the Second World War.

In 1946–47, the tournament was altered, with each team playing each other twice, home and away.

The 1949–50 season saw a return to playing only once, but a new team, "Other Nationalities", was added. This team consisted of players who were not English, Welsh, or French playing in the British and French leagues.

The 1955–56 tournament had no Welsh team, though Welsh players featured for Other Nationalities.

The tournament was not played again until 1969–70, and not again until 1975 with the original three-team format.

The tournament was cancelled again after the 1981 tournament, but it was revived again under the same format for 1995 and 1996.

2003–2009: Nations Cup era and RLEF control

In 2003, the tournament was revamped under the control of the Rugby League European Federation.[1] This saw the inclusion of Scotland, Ireland, and Russia. The tournament came with a new structure of two groups of three, with the winner of each group meeting in a final. This structure was continued for the 2004 tournament.

From 2004 Scotland, Ireland, and Wales had to have at least four 'domestic based' players from their domestic competitions (in the case of Wales and Scotland this means Welsh clubs playing in the RLC Welsh Premier Division and RLC Scottish Premier) in their squad.

The 2005 tournament did not include England as a participant. Georgia won the first ever European Nations qualifying tournament in 2005, beating both Serbia and the Netherlands to win a spot in the tournament.

2006 saw the introduction of a B and C tournament.[1]

2010–2018: European Cup era

The 2010 and 2014 tournaments were used to choose the team that compete with Australia, New Zealand and England in the subsequent Four Nations. Starting in 2018, the tournament is being used as a part of the qualification process for the Rugby League World Cup.

2020–present: Promotion and relegation era

The Rugby League European Federation announced changes for the 2020 tournament with promotion and relegation between each tier of the tournament for first and last place teams respectfully. The tournament was also expanded to include a D tier as well. The 2020 European Championship was to consist of six teams with one team being relegated to Euro B. In July 2020, the 2020 edition of the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

The next tournament, scheduled for 2022 but pushed back to 2023 due to the postponement of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, was also cancelled due to the late withdrawal of France hosting the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.[3] This edition was set to feature a mass expansion of the tournament, featuring eight teams and the return of England. This edition would also see Euro C and D cancelled due to all teams moving up divisions in the expanded tournament.[4][5]

Team appearances

Team Appearances Debut Most recent Best result
 France 3219352023 Champions (9 times)
 Wales 3219352023 Champions (7 times)
 England 3019352023 Champions (14 times)
 Scotland 920032023 Champions (2014)
 Ireland 920032023 Runners-up (2004, 2012)
Other Nationalities 61949–501955–56 Champions (1952–53, 1955–56)
 Russia 320032005 Group stage (2003, 2004, 2005)
 Serbia 220092023 Group stage (2009)
 Georgia 120052005 Group stage (2005)
 Lebanon 120092009 Third place (2009)
England England Knights 120122012 Champions (2012)
 Italy 120232023 TBA
 Spain 120232023 TBA

Results

Championship era (1935–1996)

Season Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
1935
England
France
Wales		 —
1935–36
Wales
England
France		 —
1936–37
Wales
England
France		 —
1938
Wales
England
France		 —
1938–39
France
Wales
England		 —
1945–46
England
France
Wales		 —
1946–47
England
Wales
France		 —
1947–48
England
France
Wales		 —
1948–49
France
England
Wales		 —
1949–50
England		 Other Nationalities
Wales
France
1950–51
France		 Other Nationalities
England
Wales
1951–52
France
England		 Other Nationalities
Wales
1952–53 Other Nationalities
Wales
England
France
1953–54
England		 Other Nationalities
France
Wales
1955–56 Other Nationalities
France
England		 —
1969–70
England
France
Wales		 —
1975
England
Wales
France		 —
1977
France
Wales
England		 —
1978
England
Wales
France		 —
1979
England
France
Wales		 —
1980
England
France
Wales		 —
1981
France
England
Wales		 —
1995
Wales
England
France		 —
1996
England
Wales
France		 —

Nations Cup era (2003–2009)

Season Champions Final Score Runners-up
2003
England		 68–6
France
2004
England		 36–12
Ireland
2005
France		 38–16
Wales
2009
Wales		 28–16
Scotland

European Cup era (2010–2018)

Season Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
2010
Wales
France
Scotland
Ireland
2012 England
England Knights
Ireland
Scotland		 —
2014
Scotland
France
Ireland
Wales
2015
Wales
France
Ireland
Scotland
2018
France
Wales
Ireland
Scotland

Promotion and relegation era (2020–present)

Season Champions Final Score Runners-up Relegated
2020
Details		 Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
2023
Details

Summary

Champions Count Years
England England 14 1935, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1949–50, 1953–54, 1969–70, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1996, 2003, 2004
France France 9 1938–39, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1977, 1981, 2005, 2011, 2018
Wales Wales 7 1935–36, 1936–37, 1938, 1995, 2009, 2010, 2015
Other Nationalities 2 1952–53, 1955–56
England England Knights 1 2012
Scotland Scotland 1 2014

Overall performances by season

This list shows the performances of all teams from all four divisions of the European Championships during the promotion and relegation era only.

  • Rise – Promoted
  • Same position – No movement
  • Fall – Relegated
National team Season
2020[lower-alpha 1] 2023
LG P/NM/R LG P/NM/R
 Czech Republic D RiseRise B
 England N/A[lower-alpha 2] A
 France A Same position A
 Germany C Rise B
 Greece N/A B
 Ireland A Same position A
 Italy A Same position A
 Malta D Same position N/A
 Netherlands D RiseRise B
 Norway C Rise B
 Russia B Same position Suspended
 Scotland A Same position A
 Serbia B Rise A
 Spain A Same position A
 Turkey D Same position N/A
 Ukraine B/C[lower-alpha 3] Same positionRise B
 Wales A Same position A
  1. ↑ The 2020 tournaments were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Euro B and D took place in 2021, while Euro C took place in 2022. Euro A did not take place as teams were competing in the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup. Expansion for 2023 meant that some teams were promoted despite not winning their competition.
  2. ↑ Between 2005 and 2021 England did not compete in the European Championship, instead favouring the Four Nations.
  3. ↑ Ukraine played in both Euro B and Euro C in 2020.

See also

Notes

    References

    1. 1 2 https://europeanrugbyleague.com/erl/history
    2. ↑ "2020 European Championships cancelled by RLEF | LoveRugbyLeague". 10 July 2020.
    3. ↑ "European Championships cancelled as international calendar left in tatters". LoveRugbyLeague. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
    4. ↑ "ERL Congratulates World Cup Organizers & Outlines International Fixture Schedule". europeanrugbyleague.com. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
    5. ↑ Willacy, Gavin (23 February 2023). "The European Championship offers rugby league fans quirky delights". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
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