Players from some of the world’s newest rugby league-playing nations converged in Sydney earlier this week (Wednesday, September 19) to launch the 2018 Emerging Nations World Championship (ENWC).
A celebration of the sport’s global expansion and diverse communities, the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) event will feature teams from countries and regions where the sport is developing.
Taking place across three Western Sydney venues from October 1 to October 13 2018, ENWC will be a two-week gathering of communities from a geographical spread never seen before in rugby league, from Thais and Turks to Solomon Islanders and South Americans.
ENWC will comprise an 11-team national competition (Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Malta, Niue, Philippines, Poland, Solomon Islands, Turkey, Vanuatu), a four-team regional confederations cup competition (Africa United, ASEAN, Latin America and Mediterranean-Middle East), and a concurrent three-match test series between physical disability sides from Australia and New Zealand.
Players will be travelling to Sydney from Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America to play in the tournament alongside Australia-based teammates who hail from the competing nations.
The tournament will kick off on Monday, October 1 at Windsor Sporting Complex with three matches: Malta v Philippines, Solomon Islands v Turkey and Hungary v Greece.
For the full draw, see www.rlenwc.com/fixtures.
Every game of the 2018 Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championship next month will also be livestreamed with commentary, ensuring audiences across the globe can watch the talent on show among rugby league’s newest nations.
Through a partnership between the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) and BarTV Sports, live streaming of the tournament’s 33 matches from October 1, 2018 to October 13, 2018 will bring the Sydney-based event into the homes of rugby league fans worldwide, and to new audiences in the participating countries.
*This is an Emerging Nations World Championships media release
