To mark 200 days until the tournament begins, three Rugby League World Cup trophies have visited Preston as part of a 48-hour host cities tour.

The trophies, which are from the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments, arrived on Wednesday, 30th March at the University Square at UCLan and were greeted by the UCLan’s men’s rugby league team, UCLan’s cheerleaders, and a number of local Preston schools’ rugby teams and Preston College’s dance troop.

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In Autumn Preston will be hosting the Men’s Welsh Rugby Team for the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) in Autumn 2022.

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Excitingly, the Rugby League World Cup 2021 will be one of the most inclusive and diverse sporting events ever hosted in England, promoting the three simultaneous disciplines of the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions.

Mayor of Preston, Councillor Javed Iqbal said: “We are excited to host the RLWC trophies as they tour across the host cities to celebrate 200 days to go.

“We are incredibly proud to be a host city for a Rugby League World Cup 2021 training camp, which will take place later this year.

“Preston is perfectly located for fans and teams to access game locations across England, and has a proven track record with hosting international teams, thanks to the University of Central Lancashire’s state of the art facilities.

“This is a great opportunity for Prestonians to get a photo with the trophies and embrace our role in the Rugby League World Cup!”

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Professor Graham Baldwin, UCLan Vice-Chancellor, said: “As the excitement builds for the return of the Rugby League World Cup on home soil, we’re delighted to be welcoming the world-famous trophies to our new University Square.

“We can’t wait to welcome the men’s Welsh rugby league team to our fantastic facilities at our Sports Arena.”

Jon Dutton, Chief Executive of RLWC2021, said: “After a challenging couple of years for everyone, it is hugely exciting to be able to take our three unique trophies to each host partner as they put on their own celebration and make a ‘Real Impact’ in their local community. 

“The road to RLWC2021 starts now and with this limited ticket offer and an exciting new campaign being released, we hope to encourage fans far and wide to be involved in the biggest, best and most inclusive Rugby League World ever to be staged.” 

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Will you be heading to any of the matches? Let us know in the comments.