UK to host 2013 World Cup

Rugby League showpiece returning to northern hemisphere

Last updated: 28th July 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

UK to host 2013 World Cup

Old Trafford hosted the 2000 World Cup final

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The 2013 World Cup will be held in the United Kingdom, the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) have confirmed.

Australia had launched another bid to host the event following the success of the 2008 tournament, however the UK landed the showpiece following a meeting on Tuesday.

The governing body met in Singapore to discuss the future of the international calendar and decided to put the World Cup date back to 2013 so it would not clash with the Olympic Games.

Richard Lewis, the deputy chairman of the RLIF and executive chairman of the Rugby Football League, said: "It is a great boost for rugby league in the northern hemisphere to secure the World Cup in 2013.

"I thought that the 2008 tournament was an outstanding success and our goal is to build on that success and to deliver a profitable tournament that further enhances the international prestige of rugby league."

The 2008 World Cup Down Under attracted combined crowds of 290,000 and a global television audience of 19.2million, making it the most widely broadcast event in the game's history.

The United Kingdom last hosted the event in 2000, when Australia hammered trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand 40-12 in the final at Old Trafford.

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