The key questions as Rugby League World Cup is postponed until 2022

The tournament has been put back a year following the withdrawals of Australia and New Zealand.

World Cup organisers must now start all over again after confirming the tournament due to kick off in October will be put back to 2022.

Here the PA news agency looks at the ramifications of the decision to postpone the World Cup.

Will the tournament become known as RLWC2022?

No, just as officials of Tokyo 2020 and Euro 2020 kept the title despite the events taking place in 2021, the World Cup organisers are sticking with the same tagline, which is important for merchandising.

What are the main challenges facing the organisers?

England v New Zealand – International Match – Anfield Stadium — Anfield is still expected to host men’s and women’s matches at the World Cup (PA Images/Dave Howarth)

Will the administrative team remain in place and will the Government be expected to help finance the running of the operation for another year?

There may be some casualties with some personnel unable to extend their commitment beyond the anticipated expiry date of their contracts at the end of November but Dutton believes the tournament will be able to “stand on its own two feet” due to the over-achievement of its commercial arm. Extra money generated by sponsorship deals was due to go towards funding the bio-security measures that would have been necessary in 2021 but can now be used to maintain the operation of the World Cup team for another 12 months.

What guarantee is there that Australia and New Zealand will take part in 2022?

Australia v England – Rugby League World Cup – Final – Suncorp Stadium — Reigning champions Australia will be expected to sign a participation agreement in the near future to secure their place in 2022 (Grant Trouville/PA)

What will happen to the international window now?

There are calls for a European Championship involving England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and France. There is also tentative talk of Australia and New Zealand meeting each other at the end of the NRL Grand Final but IRL chairman Grant says they would need the approval of his organisation and that it would “not be a good look” to be playing Test matches Down Under after they pulled out of the World Cup.

What are the knock-on effects for Super League?

Some clubs have already expressed a desire to use the window to extend the domestic season, as happened in 2020. However, organisers want to stage the tournament slightly earlier in 2022 to avoid any clash with the FIFA World Cup, which gets under way in Qatar on November 21. That would mean either an earlier start or a shortened season for Super League and Dutton has been quick to dissuade club chief executives and owners from playing on until November.