Of the fourteen teams that would participate in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, only two were not automatic inclusions, so must win qualifying matches to enter the tournament, which was held in Wales and England. Originally around twenty teams were to be involved in qualification for the tournament, but this was eventually fixed at nineteen.
Contents
Qualified teams
Seven teams from the Pacific qualified for the World Cup. All of these teams were granted automatic qualification.
Six teams from Europe qualified; five teams automatically, with the sixth going to Italy, the winner of the European qualifying group.
One team from the Atlantic region qualified for the World Cup.
Atlantic
The Atlantic qualifying group involved the USA, Jamaica and South Africa. The Atlantic qualifiers were held at Campbell's Field, New Jersey. USA won the group and qualified for the World Cup.
Europe
The European qualifying group involved Russia, Italy, Serbia and Lebanon. Both Italy and Lebanon remained unbeaten, recording two wins and a draw each. However, Italy topped the group as a result of points difference and therefore qualified for the World Cup.