2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying

There are ten places available in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, held in Australia.

Qualified teams

;Pacific6 teams have 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.
*rl|Australia (automatic qualifier and host)
*rl|New Zealand (automatic qualifier)
*rl|Papua New Guinea (automatic qualifier)
*rl|Tonga (Pacific qualifying group winners)
*rl|Fiji (Pacific qualifying group runners up)
*rl|Samoa (Repechage winners)

;Europe4 teams have qualified for the World Cup. 2 qualified automatically, with a further finals berth available to the winner of each European qualifying group.
*rl|England (automatic qualifier)
*rl|France (automatic qualifier)
*rl|Ireland|4prov (Europe group 2 winners)
*rl|Scotland (Europe group 1 winners)

;AtlanticNo teams from the Atlantic qualifying group reached the finals, with the USA losing at the repechage semi-final stage.

Regional qualifiers

Europe (Round 1)

Results

rugbybox
date = 28 April, 2006
home = rl-rt|Netherlands
score = 14–40
away = rl|Russia
stadium = Hoek van Holland
attendance = 250 ----rugbybox
date = 13 May, 2006
home = rl-rt|Serbia
score = 10–45
away = rl|Georgia
stadium = FK Radnički Stadium, Belgrade
attendance = 500 ----rugbybox
date = 26 May, 2006
home = rl-rt|Georgia
score = 57–16
away = rl|Netherlands
stadium = Locomotive Stadium, Tblisi
attendance = 10935 ----rugbybox
date = 4 June, 2006
home = rl-rt|Serbia
score = 6–44
away = rl|Russia
stadium = FK Radnički Stadium, Belgrade
attendance = 500 ----rugbybox
date = 17 June, 2006
home = rl-rt|Netherlands
score = 38–26
away = rl|Serbia
stadium = Rotterdamse RC Beekweg, Rotterdam
attendance = 250 ----rugbybox
date = 22 June, 2006
home = rl-rt|Russia
score = 24–0
away = rl|Georgia (w/o)
stadium = —

* Russia originally won this match on forfeit due to the Georgian team having their visa applications rejected. "They will now face Ireland and Lebanon."

* It was later revealed however (after an investigation) that the Georgian team could not play Russia because they were representing the Georgian rugby union team at the time. Georgia were subsequently ejected from the competition and banned for two years.

tandings

*Despite finishing on equal number of points, Ireland secured their World Cup spot as a result of a higher points differential.
*Lebanon faced Wales in the Repechage round.

Pacific

Results

rugbybox
date = 29 September, 2006
home = rl-rt|Tonga
score = 56–14
away = rl|Cook Islands
stadium = Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney
attendance = 3013 ----rugbybox
date = 29 September, 2006
home = rl-rt|Samoa
score = 30–28
away = rl|Fiji
stadium = Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney
attendance = 3013 ----rugbybox
date = 4 October, 2006
home = rl-rt|Fiji
score = 30–28
away = rl|Tonga
stadium = Western Weekender Stadium, Sydney
attendance = 3813 ----rugbybox
date = 4 October, 2006
home = rl-rt|Samoa
score = 46–6
away = rl|Cook Islands
stadium = Western Weekender Stadium, Sydney
attendance = 3813 ----rugbybox
date = 7 October, 2006
home = rl-rt|Fiji
score = 40–4
away = rl|Cook Islands
stadium = CUA Stadium, Penrith
attendance = 1713 ----rugbybox
date = 22 October, 2006
home = rl-rt|Tonga
score = 18–10
away = rl|Samoa
stadium = Headingley Stadium, Leeds
attendance = 5547

tandings

Atlantic

Originally the USA, Japan, South Africa and West Indies were going to compete in a fourway tournament at Bernie Robbins Stadium, Atlantic City from 21-28 October. However the West Indies and South Africa have since withdrawn and so a one-off match was played between the Samurais and The Tomahawks. [http://www.amnrl.com/news/0972006atlanticcup.html] ----rugbybox
date = 28 October, 2006
home = rl-rt|United States
score = 54–18
away = rl|Japan
stadium = Aston Community Center Field, Aston
attendance = 1200
* The United States entered the repechage round, to play Samoa (3rd placed Pacific team).

Repechage

semi-finalsrugbybox
date = 9 November, 2007
home = rl-rt|Wales
score = 26–50
away = rl|Lebanon
stadium = Halton Stadium, Widnes
attendance = 753----rugbybox
date = 9 November, 2007
home = rl-rt|United States
score = 10–42
away = rl|Samoa
stadium = Halton Stadium, Widnes
attendance = 753----

finalrugbybox
date = 14 November, 2007
home = rl-rt|Lebanon
score = 16-38
away = rl|Samoa
stadium = Post Office Road, Featherstone
attendance = 1323

*Therefore, Samoa qualified for the final position at the World Cup to be held in Australia in 2008.

ee also

* Rugby League World Cup
* 2008 Rugby League World Cup

ources

* [http://www.rlef.eu.com/newsstory.php?id=180 "World Cup European Preliminary Qualifying Tournament - Euro B"] , Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved May 8, 2006
* [http://www.rlef.eu.com/newsstory.php?id=187 "Rugby League World Cup 2008 - European Qualifying Group"] , Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved May 15, 2006
* [http://www.rlef.eu.com/newsstory.php?id=193 "Impressive Georgia Outrun Dutch in 2nd Half"] , Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved May 28, 2006
* [http://www.rlef.eu.com/newsstory.php?id=210 "World Cup 2008 - European Qualifying Ground"] , Rugby League European Federation website, retrieved June 20, 2006
* [http://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s347/st99434.htm "The Road to World Cup 2008"] , Scotland Rugby League website, retrieved July 16, 2006.