# 2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying

2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying matches took place from April 2006 to November 2007. Of the ten teams to compete in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, five of them qualified based on their performance in these matches. The other five teams had qualified automatically.

## Qualified teams

6 Asian-Pacific teams qualified for the World Cup; 3 qualified automatically, with the top 2 in the Pacific qualifying group also reaching the finals. Samoa finished third in the Pacific qualifying group and earned a qualification spot by winning the repechage. 4 European teams qualified for the World Cup. 2 qualified automatically, with a further 2 finals berths for the winner of each European qualifying group. No teams from the Atlantic qualifying group reached the finals, with the USA losing at the repechage semi-final stage.
| Team | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance |
| Australia | Host | N/A | Final | 2000 | Winners (1957, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1992, 1995, 2000) |
| New Zealand | Automatic qualifier | N/A | Champions | 2000 | Runners-up (1988, 2000) |
| Papua New Guinea | Automatic qualifier | N/A | No | 2000 | Quarter-finals (2000) |
| England | Automatic qualifier | N/A | Semi Final | 2000 | Runners-up (1975, 1995) |
| France | Automatic qualifier | N/A | No | 2000 | Runners-up (1954, 1968) |
| Scotland | Europe Pool A winners | 4 November 2007 | No | 2000 | Group stage (2000) |
| Ireland | Europe Pool B winners | 2 November 2007 | Quarter Final | 2000 | Quarter-finals (2000) |
| Tonga | Pacific Pool winners | 22 October 2006 | No | 2000 | Group stage (1995, 2000) |
| Fiji | Pacific runners-up | 7 October 2006 | Semi Final | 2000 | Group stage (1995, 2000) |
| Samoa | Repechage winners | 14 November 2007 | No | 2000 | Quarter-finals (2000 |

## Europe
### First round

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts | Qualification |
| Russia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 20 | +88 | 6 | Second Round |
| Georgia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 50 | +52 | 4 | Ejected from competition |
| Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 68 | 123 | –55 | 2 | Failed to qualify for World Cup |
| Serbia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 42 | 127 | –85 | 0 | Failed to qualify for World Cup |
* 28 April 2006
| Netherlands | 14–40 | Russia |
* Hook of Holland Attendance: 250
* 13 May 2006
| Serbia | 10–45 | Georgia |
* FK Radnički Stadium, Belgrade Attendance: 500
* 26 May 2006
| Georgia | 57–16 | Netherlands |
* Locomotive Stadium, Tbilisi Attendance: 10,935
* 4 June 2006
| Serbia | 6–44 | Russia |
* FK Radnički Stadium, Belgrade Attendance: 500
* 17 June 2006
| Netherlands | 38–26 | Serbia |
* Rotterdamse RC Beekweg, Rotterdam Attendance: 250
* 22 June 2006
| Russia | 24–0 | Georgia |

### Second round

Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts | Qualification |
| Scotland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 32 | +5 | 2 | Qualified for World Cup |
| Wales | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 37 | –5 | 2 | Intercontinental playoff |
* 29 October 2006
| Wales | 14–21 | Scotland |
| Tries: Briers Hughes Johnson Goal: Briers | | Tries: Benn Brough Liddell Nanyn Goals: Morton Nanyn Field Goal: Brough |
* Brewery Field, Bridgend Attendance: 2,378
* 4 November 2007
| Scotland | 16–18 | Wales |
| Tries: Benn Fisher Goals: Brough (4/4) | | Tries: Dyer Gibson Hughes Goals: Harris (3/4) |
* Old Anniesland, Glasgow Attendance: 911
Group B Lebanon hosted their home fixtures in England due to the political situation in the Middle East.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts | Qualification |
| Ireland | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 142 | 64 | 78 | 6 | Qualified for World Cup |
| Lebanon | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 104 | 42 | 62 | 6 | Interncontinental playoff |
| Russia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 178 | −140 | 0 | Failed to qualify for World Cup |
* 22 October 2006
| Russia | 12–50 | Ireland |
| Tries: Baskakov Iliassov Ovchinnikov | | Tries: Dodd (3) Bridge (2) Cantillon (2) Littler (2) Goals: Bridge (7/9) |
* Fili Stadium, Moscow Attendance: 120
* 28 October 2006
| Lebanon | 22–8 | Russia |
* New River Stadium, London Attendance: 300
* 5 November 2006
| Ireland | 18–18 | Lebanon |
| Tries: Grix Littler Tandy Goals: Bridge (3/3) | | Tries: Chiha Koborsi Salem Goals: El Masri (2/2) Salem (1/2) |
* Tolka Park, Dublin Attendance: 140
* 20 October 2007
| Ireland | 58–18 | Russia |
| Tries: Blanch (3) Littler (3) Beswick (2) Gleeson (2) Handforth Goals: Finn (4/6) Handforth (3/5) | | Tries: Baskakov Logunov Zagoskin Goals: Grigoryan (2/3) Zdobnikov (1/1) |
* Oak Park, Carlow Attendance: 2,958
* 27 October 2007
| Russia | 0–48 | Lebanon |
* Nara Stadium, Narofominsk Attendance: 1,426
* 2 November 2007
| Lebanon | 16–16 | Ireland |
| Tries: Farah Salem Samia Goals: Nicholas (2) | | Tries: Finn Handforth Goals: Finn (2) Bridge (2) |
* Crown Flatt, Dewsbury Attendance: 6,812
Notes:
* Ireland's Chris Bridge kicked a penalty goal to level the scores in the 77th minute after Lebanon's captain Hassan Saleh conceded a penalty for a high tackle.
* Ireland qualified for the World Cup with a greater points difference than Lebanon, who progressed to the intercontinental repechage.

#### Speculation of match-fixing

In early 2011, Ryan Tandy and his agent Sam Ayoub were charged in relation to alleged spot-fixing offences during a 2010 National Rugby League match, prompting speculation about the legitimacy of Ireland and Lebanon's two draws. The 2006 drawn match included Tandy representing Ireland and Ayoub's son Jai Ayoub representing Lebanon. Neither Tandy or Ayoub played in the 2007 match. A police investigation in Australia was dismissed due to "jurisdictional issues." Ireland coach Andy Kelly said in 2011 that he believes the games were played "openly and honestly," and that it was a coincidence both games were drawn.

## Pacific

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts | Qualification |
| Tonga | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 54 | 48 | 4 | Qualified for World Cup |
| Fiji | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 62 | 36 | 4 | Qualified for World Cup |
| Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 86 | 52 | 34 | 4 | Advances to the repechage round |
| Cook Islands | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 142 | −118 | 0 | Failed to qualify for World Cup |
* 29 September 2006
| Tonga | 56–14 | Cook Islands |
* Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 3,013
* 29 September 2006
| Samoa | 30–28 | Fiji |
* Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 3,013
* 4 October 2006
| Fiji | 30–28 | Tonga |
* Western Weekender Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 3,813
* 4 October 2006
| Samoa | 46–6 | Cook Islands |
* Western Weekender Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 3,813
* 7 October 2006
| Fiji | 40–4 | Cook Islands |
* CUA Stadium, Penrith Attendance: 1,713
* 22 October 2006
| Tonga | 18–10 | Samoa |
* Headingley, Leeds Attendance: 5,547

## Other

Originally, the USA, Japan, South Africa and West Indies were going to compete in a four-team tournament at Bernie Robbins Stadium, Atlantic City, from 21–28 October.
However, the West Indies and South Africa withdrew before the draw, and a one-off match was played between Japan and the USA.
* 28 October 2006
| United States | 54–18 | Japan |
* Aston Community Center Field, Aston Attendance: 1,200

## Repechage
### Semi-finals

* 9 November 2007
| Wales | 26–50 | Lebanon |
| Tries: Gibson (3) Blackwood Bracek Goals: Harris (2/4) Briers | | Tries: Salem (3) El Zbaideh Kourouche Moujalli Ndaira Saab Samia Goals: Nicolas (7/9) |
* Halton Stadium, Widnes Attendance: 753
* 9 November 2007
| United States | 10–42 | Samoa |
* Halton Stadium, Widnes Attendance: 753

### Final

* 14 November 2007
| Lebanon | 16–38 | Samoa |
* Post Office Road, Featherstone Attendance: 1,323
* Therefore, Samoa qualified for the final position at the World Cup to be held in Australia in 2008.