Wales and France keep 2026 World Cup dreams alive as Super League youngsters shine
Wales (left) and France (right) celebrate tries during the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup
Wales and France have both kept their 2026 World Cup dreams alive, winning their respective semi-finals in the European qualifying tournament to set up a final against one another this weekend.
The Dragons beat Serbia 48-0 in Carcassonne on Tuesday evening despite head coach John Kear not being present due to medical issues which had been picked up during checks by the nation’s medical staff.
Long-term assistant Mark Moxon, the head coach of Championship outfit Batley Bulldogs, took charge in his absence.
He oversaw a dominant performance with Wales 30-0 up by the break against a Serbia side that included former Salford Red Devils winger David Nofoaluma.
Lining up against him, Red Devils youngster Joe Franklin-Coope got his name on the scoresheet for the Dragons with a last-minute try.
At the same venue, France also tasted a comfortable victory on Tuesday evening in their semi-final – beating Ukraine 74-8.
Head coach Laurent Frayssinous fielded a largely youthful side, but were 48-0 up come the break and added another 26 points to their tally in the second half, ending with 14 tries scored.
Toulouse Olympique’s Eloi Pelissier (2) and Halifax Panthers’ Louis Jouffret got their names on the scoresheet alongside Catalans Dragons pair Tanguy Zenon and Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet (2).
Featherstone Rovers’ Thomas Lacans, Wigan Warriors’ Tiaki Chan and Huddersfield Giants’ Hugo Salabio all also featured for France as well as Mickael Goudemand and Justin Sangare, who donned a shirt for Leeds Rhinos at club level in 2024.
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Wales and France keep 2026 World Cup dreams alive as Super League youngsters shine
Courtesy of those wins, Wales and France have now set up a European qualifying tournament final between themselves which will come on Saturday afternoon (October 26) at the Stade Municipal in Saint-Estève with a 1.30pm BST kick-off scheduled.
Serbia and Ukraine will also compete in a third-place play-off, though that is solely for the prize of international ranking points.
For whoever loses the final between Wales and France, the World Cup dream will be over.
The winner will move on to the World Series in 2025, competing in a round-robin four-nation group alongside the Cook Islands, Jamaica and South Africa.
From that four-nation group next year, once they have all played each other, the top two will advance to the 2026 World Cup.
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