2024 Pacific Championships: PNG and Fiji Set to Host Key Rugby League Matches
Papua New Guinea is set to host the 2024 Rugby League Pacific Championships bowl matches, which will take place across four countries over four consecutive weekends in October and November. The 2024 edition will introduce promotion and relegation, with the winners of the men’s and women’s Pacific bowls earning the opportunity to compete against the third-placed Pacific cup nations for a spot in the 2025 Pacific cup pools.
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| Papua New Guinea's National Football Stadium to host Pacific Cup Championships |
The men’s tournament will feature two divisions, with Australia, New Zealand, and Tonga competing in the cup division, while Fiji, PNG, and the Cook Islands will contest the bowl division. For the first time, Fiji will host matches as the event expands further into the Pacific, with games also scheduled at Port Moresby’s National Football Stadium, Brisbane, Christchurch, Auckland, and Sydney.
National Rugby League Chief Executive Officer Andrew Abdo highlighted the significance of the promotion and relegation system, emphasizing the added importance of each contest following the successful 2023 Pacific Championships. He stated, “This year we have raised the stakes by adding promotion and relegation across the men’s and women’s tournaments.”
Fiji will host consecutive double-headers, with the Kumuls facing Fiji in Suva on October 19 and the Cook Islands women’s bowl match on October 26. In Port Moresby, the Kumuls will take on the Cook Islands, while the Orchids will face New Zealand in a double-header on November 3. The championship will conclude with a quadruple-header at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium on November 10, featuring the men’s and women’s cup finals.
The draw includes:
- Pacific Cup (women): Australia vs PNG (Oct 18, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane); PNG vs New Zealand (Nov 3, National Football Stadium, Port Moresby).
- Pacific Bowl (men): Fiji vs PNG (Oct 19, Fiji); PNG vs Cook Islands (Nov 3, NFS, Port Moresby).
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