1935–1996: Original competition , carried on his teammates' shoulders after a win against
England during the 1969-70 tournament. The Rugby League European Championships was originally a tri-nations tournament between
England,
Wales, and
France playing each other in a single round robin. The tournament was played annually, with the exception of the years of the Second World War. In 1946–47, the tournament was altered, with each team playing each other twice, home and away. The 1949–50 tournament saw return to single round robin format. The tournament also saw the
Other Nationalities team brought out of hiatus for the first time since the 1930s. This team consisted of players who were not English, Welsh, or French playing in the British and French leagues. The 1955–56 tournament had no Welsh team, though Welsh players featured for Other Nationalities. The tournament was not played again until 1969–70, and not again until 1975 with the original three-team format. The tournament stayed as part of the calendar until 1981 where it was again cancelled thereafter, but saw a final revival in 1995 and 1996.
2003–2006: Nations Cup era and RLEF control In 2003, the
Rugby League European Federation gained rights to the tournament and revived it under the name
European Nations Cup. This saw the addition of
Scotland,
Ireland, and
Russia with teams being split into two groups of three with the group winners competing in the final. The same format and teams featured in 2004. The
2005 tournament saw
England withdraw as a result of reduced competitiveness of the expanded tournament. A qualification tournament was held to find a team to replace England which saw
Georgia beat
Serbia and the
Netherlands to earn the place. The tournament again when on hiatus with plans to reform the top tier. 2006 saw the introduction of a
B and
C tournament as a result of the increased number of rugby league playering nations in Europe. France were absence from the 2009 edition due being invited to the
2009 Rugby League Four Nations. Poor performance from both newcomers would see the 2010 tournament reduced to four teams: France, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales under a single round robin reminiscent of the original tournament and played every two years. Wales won the tournament, thus qualified for the
2011 Rugby League Four Nations. The 2012 tournament provided problems for the new biennial schedule. France and Wales opted out of the tournament, wanting stronger tests in preparation for the
2013 Rugby League World Cup, and arranged a
separate tri-nations tournament with England. Italy and
England reserves were asked to replace France and Wales though travel issues prevented Italy from participating. England reserves won the tournament. The usual format was restored for the 2014 tournament which was won by Scotland, who as a result qualified for the
2016 Rugby League Four Nations. Learning from 2012, the 2016 tournament was held a year prior so as to not interfere with preparations for the
2017 World Cup. The 2018 tournament acted as the
2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup European qualification tournament. 2020–present: Competition reformat and continuous cancellations The Rugby League European Federation announced changes for the 2020 tournament with promotion and relegation between each tier of the tournament for first and last place teams respectfully. The tournament was also expanded to include a
D tier as well. The
2020 European Championship was to consist of six teams with one team being relegated to Euro B. In July 2020, the 2020 edition of the tournament was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The next tournament, scheduled for 2022 but pushed back to
2023 due to the postponement of the
2021 Rugby League World Cup due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, was also cancelled due to the late withdrawal of France hosting the
2025 Rugby League World Cup as it could no longer be used as the European qualification tournament. This edition was set to feature a mass expansion of the tournament, featuring eight teams and the return of
England. This edition would have also seen Euro C and D cancelled due to all teams moving up divisions in the expanded tournament. In March 2025, the
European Rugby League (ERL) announced the return of the tournament for Euro B, C, and D, with the competition returning to a three team per division competition. Competing nations were reseeded based on
rank, with the 2025 and 2026 tournaments confirmed. The ERL stated its aim to restart Euro A in 2027 following the
2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup, with the top European teams unable to join earlier due to commitments in the qualification tournament for the World Cup. ==Team appearances==