On 11 July 1998 the first ever 13 a side rugby league match was played between Italia and Lebanon, which took place at Leichhardt Oval - Sydney - Australia, the match was known as 'The Mediterranean Cup'. A crowd of almost 10,000 watched as these two emerging nations battled it out in a torrid affair. Former first grade players such as Frank Napoli, Chris St Clair, John Elias, David Baysarri and Darren Maroon represented their country of origin. The match was refereed by Tony Archer and Lebanon defeated a gallant Italy. The Mediterranean Cup was played before the Balmain Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys 1st grade match. The Mediterranean Cup was an annual

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

football tournament that was held in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

although it also has been held in France. It was contested by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

with the competition first conceived as a qualifying tournament for the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, and in 1999 was contested by Lebanon, Morocco and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. As the 2000 World Cup was not financially successful the tournament was cancelled for a number of years. The Mediterranean Cup was resurrected in 2002 as a one-off match between Lebanon and France. It was played at Tripoli International Stadium on November 2, 2002 in front of a crowd of 9,713. Lebanon defeated France 36-6. In 2003 and 2004, it was expanded to again become a four team tournament. On 2 October 2005 it was announced that the 2005 tournament was cancelled. According to Lebanon Rugby League official Danny Kazandjian: ''"It is with a sense of profound disappointment that we have had to face harsh reality and cancel the Mediterranean Cup, just one day before our official launch press conference at the Searock Hotel in

Raouché Raouché () is a residential and commercial neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon. It is known for its upscale apartment buildings, numerous restaurants, and cliff-side cafés that line Avenue de Paris, which forms part of the Corniche Beirut. The cor ...

, Beirut, and just nine days before Lebanon was due to take on Serbia in the Olympic Stadium, Tripoli. The Lebanese rugby league feels extremely let down by certain parties."'' France, Serbia, Morocco and Lebanon have all moved on to other tournaments in the

RLEF The European Rugby League (ERL) is the umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football across Europe. In the absence of other continental federations, ERL also controls rugby league in North America (including Central Americ ...

developmental scheme. Serbia and Lebanon have been moved up to the

2009 European Cup The 2009 European Cup, known as the rugbyleague.com European Cup due to sponsorship, was a rugby league football tournament. The revamped European Cup 2009 involved six teams competing in two groups of three. Participating teams were: Ireland, Sco ...

and France will be playing in the

2009 Four Nations The 2009 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (officially known as the Gillette Four Nations due to sponsorship) was the first Rugby League Four Nations since its expansion from the Tri-Nations tournament. Played in England and France over three ...

. Maroc Rugby League are currently restructuring the game in

and the revamped Moroccan team played in and won the

RLEF Euro Med Challenge The Euro-Med Challenge is an international rugby league football competition. The competition is organized by the Rugby League European Federation and is designed to promote the sport of rugby league in Europe and the Mediterranean Region. The Eur ...

. In 2016, the RLEF confirmed that the Mediterranean Cup would return and announced that

would host a one-off match against Lebanon in Catania.

Mediterranean Cup summaries

References

External links

2004 Competition results

{{International rugby league Rugby league international tournaments European rugby league competitions

Mediterranean Cup summaries

See also

References

External links