Newcastle to host Scotland men's team as RLWC2021 nation training bases announced.

With 500 days to go until the opening fixture of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021), tournament organisers have announced that Newcastle will act as the training base for Scotland’s men’s team.

Newcastle, known for its passionate fanbase, is the perfect place to host the tournament opening ceremony and England men’s opening fixture at St James’ Park, as well as three group fixtures at Kingston Park. Now the sport loving Geordies will be welcoming the men’s team from just north of the border as Scotland men’s team look ahead to the tournament in 2021.

The squads from the 21 unique nations and 32 teams will be based in different locations. The full list of host towns and cities, and the corresponding nations is as follows:

• Bolton – France (Men’s)
• Doncaster – Samoa (Men’s)
• Hull – Fiji (Men’s)
• Leeds – Jamaica, Ireland (Men’s) | England, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Canada (Women’s)
• Liverpool and St Helens – Tonga, Italy (Men’s teams)
• London – England, Australia, Norway, Spain (Wheelchair)
• Manchester – England, Australia (Men’s)
• Newcastle – Scotland (Men’s)
• Preston – Wales (Men’s)
• Sheffield – Greece (Men’s) | France, Wales, Scotland, USA (Wheelchair)
• Tees Valley – Cook Islands (Men’s)
• Warrington – Papua New Guinea (Men’s)
• Wigan/Leigh – Lebanon (Men’s)
• York – New Zealand (Men’s) | Australia, New Zealand, France, Cook Islands (Women’s)

All the host cities and towns, including those who won’t be a dedicated team base (Coventry and Kirklees), will form a huge part of making the tournament a success, welcoming players from around the world and adopting them as their own, as they get behind them and cheer them on in 500 days’ time. Following this announcement, the fixtures for all three tournaments will be announced in the coming months.

RLWC2021 has today also revealed new branding for the tournament, celebrating the power of together, focusing on human interest stories and emotional connections, with the goal of connecting with a universal audience.

The new branding will also include bespoke elements from each host, drawing on recognisable icons and displaying the sense of civic pride each host has for its town or city. RLWC2021 will be asking people from each town and city to vote on the icons that make up their custom patterns in the coming months and will be doing something similar for the nations towards the end of the year.

Councillor Ged Bell, cabinet member for Employment and Culture commented: "I am thrilled that not only will Newcastle host the opening fixtures of the Rugby League World Cup but we will also be the base for the Scotland men's team.

"The coronavirus crisis has unfortunately led to many major events being cancelled, however we are already building our city's recovery and looking forward to a packed programme of events next year including the opening game and launch of the Rugby League World cup in October 2021.

"Once again the eyes of the world will be on Newcastle as our reputation as a city that can host spectacular events continues to grow, we know how to put on a show and the Rugby League World Cup will be vibrant, colourful and thrilling.

"Newcastle is famous for its warm Geordie welcome and I am sure the Scotland team will feel the full support of the city as they embark on their tournament from their base on Tyneside.

"The Rugby League World Cup will showcase Newcastle at its best, putting on a show in our vibrant city centre surrounded by people with an unrivalled passion for sport."