Geography of rugby league

Rugby league is a full contact football code and spectator sport played in various countries around the world. It is govererned globally by the International Rugby League (IRL; previously referred to as the Rugby League International Federation).

The IRL divides governance of the sport across two confederations governing Asia-Pacific (APRL) and Europe (ERL). The ERL further contains two sub-branches governing The Americas and Middle East and Africa.

Although one of the later football codes to be developed, the game has expanded outside of its traditionals heartlands in Australia, Northern England, Southern France, and New Zealand. As a result, many players of European, and Pacific Islander background have risen to the top professional level in the two major domestic leagues, the National Rugby League and Super League.

Whilst individual international test matches between nations have been staged regularly since 1907, the first world cup of the sport was held in France in 1954, making it the first world cup of either rugby code and the first to be officially known as the "Rugby World Cup".

Full and affiliate members are eligible for the Rugby League World Cup. However, due to the late rescheduling of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, only full members will be allowed to compete in the next edition.

Americas
Rugby league is a growing sport in the Americas, having first started with All Star exhibition matches in the 1950s. It has been played at an organised semi-professional level in North America since it was first introduced as a competition sport in the 1990s. There are currently domestic leagues operating in Jamaica, Canada and the United States. Many players of Caribbean heritage live and play in the Super League and have brought their skills back to the islands to foster the development of thousands of new players. The game is also played at a lower amateur level across the Americas by ex-patriates although only recognised national organisations are listed here for brevity.

Canada currently has two domestic competitions, Ontario and British Columbia, with British Columbia being the premier competition with also the most teams. British Columbia Rugby League (BCRL) also has a provincial team known as the BC Bulldogs. In 2012, the BC Bulldogs competed against Utah Avalanche from Salt Lake who currently play in the AMNRL. The game was contested over two legs, home and away, with BC taking both games. The BC Bulldogs also made an appearance at the Las Vegas Remembrance Cup and come third. Coogee Bay Dolphins from Australia took out the competition for the second time in a row.

In 2013, BCRL will be made up of 6 teams, namely Bayside Sharks, Kelowna Crows, Richmond Bears, Sea to Sky Eagles, Surrey Beavers and Vancouver Dragons.

Brazil has also taken up the sport in 2013.

Since 2013 the Latin Heat Rugby League has had moderate success in introducing rugby League to players with Latin American heritage living in Australia. In 2014 the Latin Heat opened a U.S chapter.

Asia-Pacific
Rugby league is a popular sport in Oceania and the Pacific islands. Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are the main nations playing rugby league in Oceania. The Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji are also RLIF test nations. Affiliate nations include Vanuatu, American Samoa, New Caledonia, Niue and Tokelau. The Solomon Islands also have some history of the sport.

Pacific

Asia

Europe
Europe is the birth place of rugby league with the game originating in Northern England. The sport is played at amateur level in most European countries however it's is only England, Wales, and France that has professional or semi-professional clubs. These three countries were the original members of the Rugby League European Championship.

The Great Britain national rugby league team is the most successful side having won three world cups, however since 1995 the team has split in favour of home nations national sides.

Domestically, the Super League (Great Britain) is the only professional league on the continent however the RFL Championship, RFL League 1, RFL Women's Super League (all Great Britain), and Elite One Championship, and Elite Two Championship (both France) are semi-professional to varying extents.

Middle East-Africa
Rugby league is a growing sport in Africa and the Middle East, with a large growth in players since the 1990s, some of which have played at the game's elite levels in the National Rugby League and Super League. The game in the Middle East is one of the fastest growing sports with regular internationals played against European and Mediterranean teams.

Rugby league is a growing sport in Africa, with the game first introduced to the continent in early 2017. The vast distance of teams from the game's heartlands has at times affected the development of the sport but new advances in the 21st century have seen a major increase in the number of internationals scheduled. Many high calibre players from the continent have progressed to the top club leagues, including Younes Khattabi, Jamal Fakir, Tom van Vollenhoven, Fred Griffiths and Jarrod Saffy. The large ex-patriate Moroccan population in the south of France has resulted in a growing interchange of players between the two countries. Rugby league in Africa is played in South Africa, Gambia, Morocco, Burundi, Nigeria and Ghana.