Leigh to play hosts to 2017 World Cup qualifier
Wednesday 15 April 2015 10:36, UK
Leigh Sports Village will host the play-off to determine which country secures the third and final European qualifying spot at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
Seven of the eight quarter-finalists from the 2013 competition, including England and Scotland, are automatically through to the tournament finals, with seven other nations to be added via qualifying.
Europe’s qualifying section begins in Riga on May 9 with Latvia, Spain, Greece and Malta vying to reach the next stage of the competition.
One of those four teams will join Serbia, Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Ireland and Wales in a qualifying tournament to be held in the autumn of 2016.
This six-nation event will be split into two groups, with each of the pool winners assured of a spot at the World Cup finals which are being held in Australia and New Zealand.
The two second-place teams in this qualifying event will face each other at Leigh on November 5 next year to discover which side secures the third and final European berth.
A draw to decide the make-up of these two qualifying groups will take place on November 5 this year.
Australia, England, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland are exempt from qualifying. The seven qualifiers will come via Europe (three teams), Asia (two), America (one) and Middle East/Africa (one).
