Wales’ Rugby League side will return to Wrexham for what could be a crucial qualification game with Ireland.

In this year’s tournament, the top two nations will gain automatic qualification for the next World Cup, which will be hosted in England.

North Wales Crusaders have previously played their home fixtures at the Racecourse, the home of Wrexham Football Club and the oldest international football stadium in the world.

When Wales last played an international fixture in Wrexham back in 2015, they beat Scotland 18-12 and went on to lift the European Championship. The town also hosted two 2013 World Cup fixtures.

The Ireland clash will be the third and final game in three consecutive weekends of international fixtures for Wales. The Dragons will play in France and then travel to Galashiels in Scotland on November 2, before the big home fixture against Ireland on November 11 at Wrexham’s Racecourse Stadium.

 

Wales Rugby League chief executive Chris Thair said: “We’re delighted to be hosting our game against Ireland at the Racecourse Stadium. The ground has a long association with rugby league and this will be a tremendous boost to supporting the growth of the grassroots game in North Wales.

“As the top two teams in the European Championship will qualify for the World Cup, we want a big crowd in Wrexham to hopefully cheer on the lads to success.

“We are tremendously grateful to Wrexham Council for their support, Wrexham Football club for their professionalism and we hope this partnership can be a fruitful one that can work long into the future.

“As we are current European champions, I know John Kear, his backroom staff and all the players are all eager to put on a good show, defend their title and qualify for the World Cup at the same time.”