Prince Harry to host 2021 World Cup draw at Buckingham Palace

Prince Harry, HRH The Duke of Sussex, will host the draw for the 2021 World Cup at Buckingham Palace on January 16.

A patron of the RFL since December 26, he presented the Challenge Cup trophy to Warrington at Wembley last August.

He will conduct the draw for the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments, which begin on October 23, 2021 at St James’ Park Newcastle.

The draw will reveal the opening fixtures for each tournament, including England.

Chief Executive of RLWC2021, Jon Dutton said: “We are delighted and honoured that The Duke of Sussex will be hosting the draws from one of the most famous landmarks in the world. His achievements in driving inclusivity in sport with the Invictus Games and his wider projects within rugby league makes him the perfect fit for the draw.

“I am looking forward to seeing who the nations are drawn against, which will really spark the countdown. There’s one thing that’s certain, we’re going to be treated to some world-class rugby league across all three tournaments.”

The tournament is the pinnacle event for rugby league and RLWC2021 will be a landmark event for the sport with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments set to be held simultaneously for the first time.

Fixtures will be held in world-class venues across the country, the Emirates Stadium, London, the Copper Box Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London and Anfield, Liverpool, culminating with a double-header men’s and women’s final at Old Trafford, Manchester.