2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying matches took place from April 2006 to November 2007. Of the ten teams to compete in the
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final b ...
, five of them qualified based on their performance in these matches. The other five teams had qualified automatically.
Qualified teams
6 Asian-Pacific teams qualified for the World Cup; 3 qualified automatically, with the top 2 in the Pacific qualifying group also reaching the finals. Samoa finished third in the Pacific qualifying group and earned a qualification spot by winning the
repechage
Repechage (; french: repêchage, "fishing out, rescuing") is a practice in series competitions that allows participants who failed to meet qualifying standards by a small margin to continue to the next round. A well known example is the wild car ...
. 4 European teams qualified for the World Cup. 2 qualified automatically, with a further 2 finals berths for the winner of each European qualifying group. No teams from the Atlantic qualifying group reached the finals, with the USA losing at the repechage semi-final stage.
Europe
First round
Second round
Group A
Group B
In early 2011, Ireland and Lebanon's two draws, which involved
Ryan Tandy
Ryan Tandy (20 September 1981 – 28 April 2014) was international rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played as a in the National Rugby League for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Wests Tige ...
and
Jai Ayoub, became subject to police investigation as the two had been connected to match-fixing.
Pacific
Atlantic
Originally, the
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
were going to compete in a four-team tournament at
Bernie Robbins Stadium
Surf Stadium is a 5,500-seat baseball stadium in Atlantic City, New Jersey that opened in 1998 and has been mostly closed since 2009, although some renovation was performed in 2011 and 2012. The stadium was officially renamed as Surf Stadium in Ap ...
,
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
, from 21–28 October.
However, the West Indies and South Africa withdrew before the draw, and a one-off match was played between Japan and the USA.
Repechage
Semi-finals
Final
*Therefore, Samoa qualified for the final position at the World Cup to be held in Australia in 2008.
See also
*
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament contested by the top national men's representative teams. The tournament is administered by the International Rugby League and was first held in France in 1954, which was ...
*
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final b ...
References
Sources
"World Cup European Preliminary Qualifying Tournament – Euro B" Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved 8 May 2006
"Rugby League World Cup 2008 – European Qualifying Group" Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved 15 May 2006
"Impressive Georgia Outrun Dutch in 2nd Half" Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved 28 May 2006
"World Cup 2008 – European Qualifying Ground" Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved 20 June 2006
Scotland Rugby League website, retrieved 16 July 2006.
{{2007 in rugby league
2006 in rugby league
2007 in rugby league
Qualifying
2006 in Welsh rugby league
2007 in Welsh rugby league
2006 in Dutch sport
2006 in Russian sport
2006 in Georgian sport
2006 in Serbian sport
2006 in Scottish sport
2007 in Scottish sport
2006 in Irish sport
2007 in Irish sport
2006 in Lebanese sport
2007 in Lebanese sport
2007 in Russian sport
2006 in Tongan sport
2006 in Fijian sport
2006 in Samoan sport
2006 in Cook Islands sport
2006 in American sports
2006 in Japanese sport
2007 in American sports
2007 in Samoan sport