Greater Manchester in England has been announced as the hosts for the fourth edition of the Emerging Nations World Championship.

The tournament, which was first held in 1995, has served as a key development platform for the International game with no less than six previous participants qualifying for future World Cups.

The event is set to be part of an expanded Festival of World Cups scheduled in the lead up to the 2021 Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair World Cups.

Member Nations interested in taking part are requested to express their interest to tournament hosts, the Rugby Football League (RFL), before August 16, 2019.

The Emerging Nations World Championship will feature both Men’s and Women’s events and is expected to take place in June / July 2021.

Previous Participants:

Cook Islands – 1995

Canada – 2000

Greece – 2018

Hong Kong – 2018

Hungary – 2018

Ireland – 1995

Italy – 2000

Japan – 2000, 2018

Malta – 2018

Moldova – 1995

Morocco – 1995, 2000

Niue – 2018

Philippines – 2018

Poland – 2018

Russia – 1995

Scotland – 1995

Solomon Islands – 2018

Turkey – 2018

United States – 1995, 2000

Vanuatu – 2018

Previous Winners:

1995 : Cook Islands 22 – 6 Ireland

2000 : BARLA 20 – 14 Italy

2018 : Malta 24 – 16 Niue