Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup
History
History
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The inaugural tournament took place as part of the [2008 Festival of World Cups](/wiki/2008_Festival_of_World_Cups "2008 Festival of World Cups") and was held in [Sydney](/wiki/Sydney "Sydney"), Australia. The four teams participating were [Australia](/wiki/Australia_national_wheelchair_rugby_league_team "Australia national wheelchair rugby league team"), [England](/wiki/England_national_wheelchair_rugby_league_team "England national wheelchair rugby league team"), France and a [Barbarians V](/wiki/Scratch_team "Scratch team") Pacific Islands team. The fourth team were a replacement for New Zealand who withdrew before the start of the competition. England were the first winners, defeating hosts Australia 44–12 in the final.

In 2013 the tournament was held in [Gillingham](/wiki/Gillingham%2C_Kent "Gillingham, Kent"), England. The six teams that took part were Australia, England, France, [Ireland](/wiki/Ireland_national_wheelchair_rugby_league_team "Ireland national wheelchair rugby league team"), [Scotland](/wiki/Scotland_national_wheelchair_rugby_league_team "Scotland national wheelchair rugby league team") and [Wales](/wiki/Wales_national_wheelchair_rugby_league_team "Wales national wheelchair rugby league team"). France won the competition, defeating England 42–40 in the final. Wales won 16–12 against Australia in the third\-place play\-off and Ireland defeated Scotland 36–14 to finish fifth.

France hosted the [2017 tournament](/wiki/2017_Wheelchair_Rugby_League_World_Cup "2017 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup") and won 38–34 in the final against England to retain the title. Seven teams took part in the tournament with the semi\-finalists from 2013 placed in Group A and Italy, Spain and Scotland in Group B. Australia, who had intended to host the tournament, finished third after defeating newcomers Italy 58–45\. Spain, who were also making their first appearance at the world cup, lost 45–66 to Wales in the fifth\-place play\-off match.

The [2021 tournament](/wiki/2021_Wheelchair_Rugby_League_World_Cup "2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup") (played in 2022 due to the COVID\-19 pandemic) saw the [United States](/wiki/United_States_national_wheelchair_rugby_league_team "United States national wheelchair rugby league team") compete at the world cup for the first time. Norway, who were also due to make their debut, withdrew from the competition in February 2022\. It was the first time that the wheelchair tournament was played simultaneously with the [men's](/wiki/2021_Men%27s_Rugby_League_World_Cup "2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup") and [women's](/wiki/2021_Women%27s_Rugby_League_World_Cup "2021 Women's Rugby League World Cup") competitions. The hosts England defeated France 28–24 in the final in front of a wheelchair rugby league world record crowd of 4,526 at [Manchester Central](/wiki/Manchester_Central_Convention_Complex "Manchester Central Convention Complex").


Who were the participating teams in the inaugural tournament?