Qatar are set to bid for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup, with the Gulf state among four nations to have staked their claim to host the tournament.
Their bid comes following France's withdrawal as hosts, with their organisational team pulling out having been unable to convince the French government of sufficient funding. The International Rugby League board held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, with the governing body having to find a new host, with the competition at risk of being postponed until 2026, or even cancelled altogether and staged again in 2029.
New Zealand, South Africa and Fiji have stepped forward to host the competition and salvage the event. However, a surprise name has emerged in the form of Qatar, with the country's government ramping up its efforts to stage more global sporting events following the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Following the news, IRL chair Troy Grant expressed his discontent, saying: “It’s difficult to express how disappointed I am with this news." He added. "There’s no secret as to how important the strengthening of France as a rugby league nation is to our global game and central to our strategic plans.
“The Rugby League World Cup in France in 2025 was always an ambitious project given the unprecedented short lead in time due to the pandemic, however it had the advantage of following and leveraging off the widely acknowledged RLWC2021 success."
The 2021 Rugby League World Cup was staged in England in 2022, with record-breaking crowds. Australia won that tournament, winning their fifth successive title in front of over 67,000 fans at Old Trafford as England crashed out unexpectedly in the semi-finals at the hands of Samoa.
Last year's tournament was played alongside the women's and wheelchair editions, with the staging of such events simultaneously creating an even bigger stage for the sport. However, should Qatar stage the tournament, it would be unclear as to their views on a similar format.
Qatar do not have a history of playing rugby league, with no team on the official IRL World Rankings. Their rugby union team is also unranked within the World Rugby Rankings.
There are continued accusations of 'sportswashing' aimed at Qatar, with their use of sporting events amid a poor human rights record.
In October 2022, an Amnesty international report revealed 'significant' human rights abuses still ongoing despite recent global events drawing scrutiny. A statement read: “Despite the positive evolution of Qatar’s labour system, substantial work remains to effectively implement and enforce these [changes],”
“Ultimately, human rights abuses persist on a significant scale today.”
