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History
The first World Cup took place in 1954 with France, who had initially lobbied for the event, hosting a four team tournament that also included Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain. Great Britain emerged victorious with a 16-12 win over their hosts in the final at the Parc des Princes.
The next five World Cups, through until 1972, featured the same four nations with Australia and Great Britain dominating within varied formats.
In 1975 Great Britain became Wales and England to make a five team tournament held throughout the year but it reverted to type in 1977 when Australia pipped Great Britain 13-12 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
A new format was initiated in 1985 with five nations, including Papua New Guinea, competing on a home and away league basis over a three year period. The final, played at Eden Park in Auckland, attracted over 47,000 with Australia beating the Kiwis 25-12.
The same approach was adopted between 1989 and 1992 with Australia beating Great Britain in front of 73,000 at Wembley Stadium.
In 1995 an innovative new structure was adopted with 10 teams taking part. Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and South Africa joined the fray and an additional seven nations in Moldova, Russia, USA, Cook Islands, Morocco, Ireland and Scotland competed in a parallel Emerging Nations World Cup.
The 2000 World Cup featured 16 nations with Lebanon taking part for the first time and Russia, Ireland, Scotland and the Cook Islands stepping up to the main event. The Emerging Nations competition was also repeated with Japan, Italy and Canada all taking their bow in a Rugby League event.
The 2008 World Cup moved Down Under with 10 nations involved. New Zealand upset the odds and won the trophy for the first time after an epic final against Australia at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Successful national teams
| Nation | Number of appearances | First appearance | Most consecutive cups | Best result |
| Australia | 13 | 1954 | 13 | Champion, 1957; 1968; 1970; 1975; 1977; 1988; 1992; 1995; 2000 |
| Great Britain | 9 | 1954 | 6 | Champion, 1954; 1960; 1972 |
| New Zealand | 13 | 1954 | 13 | Champion, 2008 |
| France | 13 | 1954 | 13 | Runner-up, 1954; 1968; |
| England | 4 | 1975 | 3 | Runner-up, 1975; 1995 |
| Wales | 3 | 1975 | 2 | Semi-finalist, 1995; 2000 |
| Fiji | 3 | 1995 | 3 | Semi-finalist, 2008 |
| Ireland | 2 | 2000 | 2 | Quarter-finalist, 2000, 2008 |
| PNG | 5 | 1988 | 5 | Quarter-finalist, 2000 |
| Samoa | 3 | 1995 | 3 | Quarter-finalist, 2000 |
| Tonga | 3 | 1995 | 3 | Two wins, 2008 |
| Scotland | 2 | 2000 | 2 | One win, 2008 |
| Aotearoa Mฤori | 1 | 2000 | 1 | One win, 2000 |
| South Africa | 2 | 1995 | 2 | No games won |
| Cook Islands | 1 | 2000 | 1 | No games won |
| Lebanon | 1 | 2000 | 1 | No games won |
| Russia | 1 | 2000 | 1 | No games won |
Championships
| Championships | Nation |
| 9 | Australia |
| 3 | Great Britain |
| 1 | New Zealand |
Overall top point scorers
| Points | Scorers |
| 112 | Mick Cronin |
| 108 | Michael O'Connor |
| 94 | George Fairbairn |
Most appearances
| Appearances | Individual |
| 25 | Kurt Sorenson |
| 17 | John Atkinson; Bob Fulton |
| 15 | Mal Meninga; Michael O'Connor |
World Cup winning captains and coaches
| Year | Captain | Coach |
| 1954 | Dave Valentine | G Shaw |
| 1957 | Dick Poole | Dick Poole |
| 1960 | Eric Ashton | William Fallowfield |
| 1968 | Johnny Raper | Harry Bath |
| 1970 | Ron Coote | Harry Bath |
| 1972 | Clive Sullivan | Jim Challinor |
| 1975 | Arthur Beetson | Graeme Langlands |
| 1977 | Arthur Beetson | Terry Fearnley |
| 1988 | Wally Lewis | Don Furner |
| 1992 | Mal Meninga | Bob Fulton |
| 1995 | Brad Fittler | Bob Fulton |
| 2000 | Brad Fittler | Chris Anderson |
| 2008 | Nathan Cayless | Stephen Kearney |
Highest Score and Widest Margin
Australia beat Russia: 110 - 4 (106 Point Margin) at Hull, November 4th 2000
Biggest Attendance
73,631 - Great Britain v Australia, 1992 World Cup Final at Wembley, October 24th 1992
Most Tries in a Match
4 by Keith Fielding (England) v France at Bordeaux, October 11th 1975
by Dale Shearer (Australia) v France at Carcassonne, December 13th 1986
by Michael O'Connor (Australia) v Papua New Guinea at Wagga, July 20th 1988
by Mat Rogers (Australia) v Fiji at Gateshead, November 1st 2000
by Wendell Sailor (Australia) v Russia at Hull, Novermber 4th 2000
by Manu Vatuvei (New Zealand) v England at Newcastle, November 8th 2008
Most Goals in a Match
17 by Ryan Girdler (Australia) v Russia at Hull, November 4th 2000
Most Points in a Match
46 by Ryan Girdler (Australia) v Russia at Hull, November 4th 2000
Video
RLWC2013 delegates inspect host communities
RLWC2013 delegates inspect host communities
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