*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
A year later than planned, thanks to that pesky coronavirus, England is ready to stage a groundbreaking Rugby League World Cup.
Australia are defending champions after beating the English in the 2017 final on their own patch so the Wall of White will be hoping to turn the tables in a month’s time.
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Ireland, Scotland and Wales are also among the 16 countries taking part in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, which is scheduled to run from Saturday, October 15 to Saturday, November 19 2022 and every match will be shown on the BBC.
For the first time ever, the men’s Rugby League World Cup will be run at the same time as the women’s and wheelchair tournaments, with equal money being paid to all participants.
Everything you need to know about the Rugby League World Cup including the fixtures, Paddy Power’s odds and the participating teams can be found below.
Rugby League World Cup teams
The 16 teams are divided into the following four groups. The top two teams in each group will progress to the Rugby League World Cup quarter-finals and automatically qualify for the next tournament in 2025.
Group A: England, Samoa, France, Greece
Group B: Australia, Fiji, Scotland, Italy
Group C: New Zealand, Lebanon, Jamaica, Ireland
Group D: Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Wales, Cook Islands
Rugby League World Cup fixtures
October 15: England v Samoa (14:30)
October 15: Australia v Fiji (19:30)
October 16: Scotland v Italy (14:30)
October 16: Jamaica v Ireland (17:00)
October 16: New Zealand v Lebanon (19:30)
October 17: France v Greece (19:30)
October 18: Tonga v Papua New Guinea (19:30)
October 19: Wales v Cook Islands (19:30)
October 21: Australia v Scotland (19:30)
October 22: Fiji v Italy (14:30)
October 22: England v France (17:00)
October 22: New Zealand v Jamaica (19:30)
October 23: Lebanon v Ireland (14:30)
October 23: Samoa v Greece (17:00)
October 24: Tonga v Wales (19:30)
October 25: Papua New Guinea v Cook Islands (19:30)
October 28: New Zealand v Ireland (19:30)
October 29: England v Greece (14:30)
October 29: Fiji v Scotland (17:00)
October 29: Australia v Italy (19:30)
October 30: Lebanon v Jamaica (12:00)
October 30: Tonga v Cook Islands (14:30)
October 30: Samoa v France (17:00)
October 31: Papua New Guinea v Wales (19:30)
November 4: Quarter-Final 1 – Group B Winner v Group C Second (19:30)
November 5: Quarter-Final 2 – Group A Winner v Group D Second (14:30)
November 5: Quarter-Final 3 – Group C Winner v Group B Second (19:30)
November 6: Quarter-Final 4 – Group D Winner v Group A Second (14:30)
November 11: Semi-Final 1 – QF1 Winner v QF3 Winner (19:45)
November 12: Semi-Final 2 – QF2 Winner v QF4 Winner (14:30)
November 19: SF1 Winner v SF2 Winner (16:00)
Rugby League World Cup odds
Rugby League World Cup odds and betting markets can be found on the Paddy Power website, otherwise the latest prices for the leading contenders are on our snazzy widgets below.
Australia are the hot favourites in their bid to retain the Paul Barrière Trophy and lift the cup for the 12th time.
New Zealand head into the competition atop the world rankings but the Kiwis are second in our betting as they gun for a second time to add to their 2008 triumph.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change