THREE-TIER MEN’S EUROPEAN RUGBY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCED

European Rugby League has announced the return of a multi-tiered men’s European Championships which will commence in October 2025, following a thorough consultation process with its members.

Nine nations will take part playing Euro B, Euro C and Euro D, with promotion and relegation in place to determine the group make up for the 2026 competition.  

Places have been allocated into the initial groups based on the IRL World Rankings positions at the end of 2024.

Euro B will see Serbia, Netherlands and Malta face each other, whilst Greece, Italy and Ukraine contest Euro C, and Euro D will be made up of Czechia, Germany and Norway.

In Euro B and D, each nation will stage one home and one away fixture, with Euro C played centrally in Italy at Pasian Di Prato - the venue of the 2022 European U19s Championships - to accommodate Ukraine’s involvement who are unable to stage a home game due to the ongoing war there.

The winners of Groups C and D will be promoted, whilst the third placed teams in Groups B and A are set to be relegated with the next competition scheduled to be played during October 2026.

“I’m delighted that European Rugby League is in a position to announce the first phase of this new look European Championships,” commented ERL chair, Dean Andrew. “Our members were very clear on their desire for a multi-year competition framework, and we have co-designed the format with them which gives certainty of games over the next two seasons to further extend their international calendars.”

It is planned to integrate further nations into the framework from 2027, with the format also taking into account ongoing bilateral match agreements, Rugby League World Cup qualifying and the final in 2026.  

From the early 2000s, the European Championships have been the most frequently competed for international tournaments.

MEN’S EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 FIXTURES

Euro B
Saturday 18th October – Malta v Netherlands
Saturday 25th October – Netherlands v Serbia
Saturday 1st November – Serbia v Malta

Euro C
Saturday 18th October - Italy v Ukraine
Wednesday 22nd of October - Greece v Ukraine
Saturday 25th of October - Italy v Greece
(All three games to be played in Italy)

Euro D
Saturday 11th October – Norway v Czechia
Saturday 18th October – Czechia v Germany
Saturday 25th October – Germany v Norway

Venues and kick off times TBC