www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/37783226 RLWC 2013 was a grand success - sets the bar to beat. OK - things may be completely different in five years time, but going with your best guesses - where would you stage the games? Starting from the top down... Final - Wembley Semi-finals - Double Header at Old Trafford QFS - Wigan, Hull, Twickenham Stoop, Leeds Pool venues - I think there are 21 group matches at RLWC 2017 - lets assume same format. Cardiff, Wrexham, Edinburgh, Dublin, Avignon, St Helens, Warrington, Leeds, Huddersfield, Hull, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Workington, Bristol, Coventry, Rochdale, Cardiff, Bradford, Coventry, Bristol, Doncaster

www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/37783226 RLWC 2013 was a grand success - sets the bar to beat. OK - things may be completely different in five years time, but going with your best guesses - where would you stage the games? Starting from the top down... Final - Wembley Semi-finals - Double Header at Old Trafford QFS - Wigan, Hull, Twickenham Stoop, Leeds Pool venues - I think there are 21 group matches at RLWC 2017 - lets assume same format. Cardiff, Wrexham, Edinburgh, Dublin, Avignon, St Helens, Warrington, Leeds, Huddersfield, Hull, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Workington, Bristol, Coventry, Rochdale, Cardiff, Bradford, Coventry, Bristol, Doncaster

With 16 teams in 2021 there would be 24 pool games. 4 pools of 4, each team plays 3 so 6 per pool. Quarters, semis and final is 7 so 31 games in total.
Says 80% of games in Yorks and Lancs so only 6-7 games will be outside that area.
Also says on there 12 venues with showpiece fixtures in London, Midlands and North-east which might suggest bigger grounds. Old Trafford and Wembley gonna be used as well.

With all that in mind it suggests bigger grounds for the showpieces so that could be Olympic, Ricoh amd St James' Park. I'm gonna say Old Trafford for semi double header and Wembley for final. So that is 5 grounds and 4 outside heartland which leaves 2 games not in heartland. With 7 grounds left I would like to think all those will be in heartland so the showpieces could be double-headers which would equal 7 games outside the heartland if Wembley is included so the maths would be right.

7 grounds in heartland: Hull, Huddersfield, Leeds, Leigh, Wigan, Saints and maybe Anfield.

Quarters, Hull, Huddersfield, Wigan and Saints
Semis, Old Trafford double-header, although I know that would be 4 double-headers but whatever.

How about being radical, following the lead of Toronto and having such an event in the USA and Canada's?
Or, be parochial,insular and narrow minded and play along the M62?
At least with 2nd option, now chosen,the game can sit, contemplate its collective navel and wonder why the game struggles to expand.
Way to go.

Group games at selected SL and similar sized non-SL grounds
Etihad will hold 61000 by then so get England's opener there.

Quarters at DW, the new Headingly, KCom for three of them and then England's game at either Arsenal's Emirates/the new White Hart Lane/London Stadium (give London an England knock-out game we do sell well down there despite it being a Northern sport)

Semis as a double header at Old Trafford

Final at Wembley

Main thing is to get dates, times and venues confirmed early, making sure they are all sensible for getting people to and from the grounds so they can be sold as events. Work with the broadcasters well in advance to avoid being forced into a corner over inappropriate scheduling.

The format for the big games in 2013 worked pretty well. Double headers in Cardiff and London, with final at Old Trafford, but if they think it's worthwhile they could switch Cardiff for Newcastle (there needs to be a game in London simply for media profile).

Thought you were walking away and giving up on RL?

Too soon for a North American World Cup imo. Hell Toronto haven't even played a game yet in our league system and people want to throw a WC at them at the earliest chance. They'll be teething problems naturally for the Toronto idea and they'll still be establishing themselves by 2021. If they work we could also do with a USA club team too so that their's something there for the fans after the WC is over. Would be typical RL 'trying to run before they can walk' thinking to go to North America in 2021. The next World Cup in 2025 would be a much wiser choice.

This whole 80% of games in the heartlands means they'll be trying to milk the same supporters over again, meaning more calls for discounted tickets, and limited scope to expand the game any further.

One France pool game in Avignon and one French QF in Toulouse. One England pool game (vs Australia) in London Olympic or Wembley.

One Canada pool game in Toronto. One USA pool game in Boston, or New York, or Philadelphia or Washington DC.

Semi finals double header at Old Trafford

Final Wembley.


We have to use the WC to build the game in London and France and USA and Canada.

Also make sure that all games can be seen on TV in France, Italy and especially in USA and Canada.

Have the opening ceremony and England's first game at the Olympic stadium, have England's 2nd and 3rd games at Huddersfield and Hull?
Quarter finals at DW, Ricoh Arena, Etihad, St James Park
Semi finals double header at Wembley
Final at old Trafford

Make sure that USA and Canada can both qualify, given the inevitable rise of Toronto Wolfpack into Super League, and the probable followup of Montreal into the system.


Best selection of teams (not actual pool membership):

England
Scotland
Ireland
Wales

France
USA
Canada
Lebanon

Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
PNG

Samoa
Tonga
Russia
Serbia


Cook Islands and Niue are too tiny and lacking domestic competition to be worthy of participation.

I don't think there was much wrong with the format and choice of grounds last time to be honest. The only one that could have been better was Cardiff looked a bit empty for one of the tournaments biggest games in England-Australia.

Play the big games such as England fixtures, Semi's and Finals in big grounds. I'd stage Englands games in London, Manchester Liverpool and Newcastle.

then i'd do a Semi's double header in London again and final at Old Trafford. Think it works better that way round as fans may be reluctant to book London until they know if England will make it whereas Old Trafford is a day-trip for most.

Then for the smaller games see who puts a good bid in, Bristol for example did a decent job promoting a USA game that wasn't ever going to set box office records alight wherever you staged it. Having Fiji at Rochdale worked well due a Fijian population there etc whilst grounds like Craven Park & Workington aren't glam but guarantee a decent midweek crowd for a 'C-list' game.

It also makes sense for France and Wales to stage at least some fixtures at home, as they will draw better crowds than in England.

As others have already commented, they need to get the tickets on sale early, RU get the World Cup on sale 2 years before. Also getting the BBC to commit to more games is crucial, we need to be getting the 'B-list' games like games involving Australia & New Zealand, and a few Samoa/Fiji/France/Scotland/Wales/PNG games on TV.

Quarter final involving France must be in Toulouse

One pool game at least in Toronto and another in USA.

If you go on their desire to have 1million people in then they will have to use a lot of big grounds cos that would make the average attendance 32,000 so to use just 12 grounds pretty much most of the biggest football grounds will be needed.

Wouldn't have any games or in France personally! England have won the bid for the World Cup not France.

All games should be played in England in my opinion.

Logistically that's a ridiculous idea.