Rugby League Under-19 European Championship
Most recent tournament 2026 Rugby League Under-19 European Championship | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2018 |
| Region | Europe (ERL) |
| Holders |  France (2026) |
| Most titles |  England (2 titles) France (2 titles) |
| Related competition | Men's European Championship Women's European Championship Wheelchair European Championship |
The Rugby League Under-19 European Championship is a rugby league tournament for men's youth national teams in Europe. The tournament was first held in 2018.[1]
History
[edit]Prior to the tournament's inauguration, a previous men's youth tournament was held in France in 2006 which saw hosts defeat England in the final.[2]
The 2018 Rugby League Under-19 European Championship was the first edition of a revised format men's youth competition for teams in Europe.[3] The tournament featured eight teams playing in a straight knockout tournament with ranking matches for the defeated sides.[4] The tournament was hosted in Serbia and saw France win the inaugural edition.[5]
The 2020 edition, scheduled to be held in Italy, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic after an initial postponement to 2021.[6]
The tournament returned in 2022, with Italy staying on as host nation.[7] The tournament format changed to a single round robin with the top four advancing to the knockout rounds.[8] England won the final.
The 2024 tournament saw Serbia return as hosts, six teams competed and saw the lowest ranked teams play quarter finals before the winners were drawn against England and France for the semi-finals. Rankings game for defeated sides were again present.[9] The United States made their debut in the tournament,[10] which saw England retained their title.[11]
The 2026 tournament will be held in France,[12] and will see a change in the format. The top 6 teams will contest the Championship in a half round robin format[a] where as the bottom four will contest the Shield.[13]
Results
[edit]List of Finals
[edit]| Year | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 2018 |
France |
26–24 | England |
[14] |
 2020 |
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2022 |
England |
14–12 | France |
[15] |
| 2024 |
England |
15–8 | France |
[16] |
| 2026 |
France |
48–12 [b] |
England |
[17] |
2018
[edit]- Bracket
| Fifth Place Playoff | Consolidation Semi Finals | Quarter Finals | Semi Finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||
| Serbia | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| England | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serbia | 54 |  Wales | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Ukraine | 26 | England | 48 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wales | 90 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ukraine | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serbia | 36 | France | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Ireland | 24 | England | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Ireland | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Scotland | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seventh Place Playoff | Ireland | 26 | France | 38 | Third Place Playoff | ||||||||||||||||||
| Italy | 10 | Scotland | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Italy | 58 | France | 70 | Scotland | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ukraine | 6 | Italy | 0 | Wales | 42 | ||||||||||||||||||
- Results
2024
[edit]- Bracket
| Quarter Finals | Semi Finals | Final | |||||||||||
| England | 58 | ||||||||||||
| Serbia | 24 | Ukraine | 4 | ||||||||||
| Ukraine | 4 | England | 15 | ||||||||||
| France | 8 | ||||||||||||
| France | 30 | ||||||||||||
| Scotland | 32 | Scotland | 18 | ||||||||||
 United States | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Fifth place playoff | Third place playoff | ||||||||||||
| United States | 28 | Serbia | 0 | ||||||||||
| Ukraine | 22 | Scotland | 56 | ||||||||||
- Results
| Serbia |
12–40 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Radnicki Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia |
2026
[edit]- Table
| Pos | Pool | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | France |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 250 | 24 | +226 | 6 | Champions |
| 2 | A | England |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 110 | 62 | +48 | 4 | |
| 3 | B | Wales |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 116 | 86 | +30 | 4 | |
| 4 | B | Ukraine |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 86 | 144 | −58 | 2 | |
| 5 | A | Scotland |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 72 | 178 | −106 | 2 | |
| 6 | A | Serbia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 72 | 212 | −140 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Greece |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 168 | 46 | +122 | 6 | Shield Winners |
| 2 | Ireland |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 130 | 94 | +36 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Canada |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 104 | 112 | −8 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Norway |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 204 | −150 | 0 |
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
Notes
[edit]- ↑ See Groups B and C at the 2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup
- ↑ The 2026 edition was played as a split single round robin. However, the final round fixture between France and England became the defacto final with no other teams able to win the competition at this point.
References
[edit]- ↑ "European Rugby League Federation". europeanrugbyleague.com.
- ↑ Star, Morning (June 29, 2017). "Rugby League: Under-19 Euro tournament returns after a 12-year hiatus". Morning Star.
- ↑ "RLEF UPDATE ON EUROPEAN U19S CHAMPIONSHIP". europeanrugbyleague.com.
- ↑ "MATCH DAY 1 SQUADS CONFIRMED FOR U19 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS". europeanrugbyleague.com.
- ↑ "FRANCE WIN DRAMATIC U19 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL". europeanrugbyleague.com.
- ↑ "European Under-19s Championship postponed until 2021". Love Rugby League. April 23, 2020.
- ↑ https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2182/european-u19s-championship-squads-confir...
- ↑ Whitelock, Adam (August 12, 2022). "European U19s Rugby League Championship format confirmed". Everything Rugby League.
- ↑ "SQUADS ARRIVE IN BELGRADE FOR EUROPEAN U19 CHAMPIONSHIP". europeanrugbyleague.com.
- ↑ "2024 European U19s Championship Adds Transatlantic Flavour". May 23, 2024.
- ↑ "England Community Lions U19s defeat France U19s in the European Championship Final". www.rugby-league.com.
- ↑ https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2529/2026-european-rugby-league-u19s-champion
- ↑ https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2605/european-rugby-league-u19s-championship-...
- ↑ "France 26 v 24 England". europeanrugbyleague.com.
- ↑ "France 12 v 14 England". europeanrugbyleague.com.
- ↑ "England 15 v 8 France". europeanrugbyleague.com.
- ↑ https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2628/france-win-european-u19s-championship-in...
