Kangaroos draw England as World Cup foes
Australia will have to take on hosts England in the group stages when they attempt to reclaim the rugby league World Cup in 2013.
Tuesday's draw in Manchester put the Kangaroos in group A alongside England, Fiji and Ireland while world champions New Zealand are in group B alongside Papua New Guinea, Samoa and France.
Group C features Scotland and Tonga along with the successful nation from a European qualifying group consisting of Italy, Lebanon, Russia and Serbia.
Group D boasts tournament co-hosts Wales, the Cook Islands and an Atlantic qualifier - either Jamaica, South Africa or the USA.
The top three teams from groups A and B qualify for the quarter-finals, while only the No.1 teams in groups C and D go through to the last eight.
"The last tournament staged in Australia in 2008 was an enormous success," said English Rugby Football League chairman Richard Lewis.
"Our aim is to build on that success and to deliver a profitable tournament that further enhances the international game across the globe and raises the profile of the sport in the UK."
No fixture dates have been scheduled for the tournament with Scotland and France expected to bid to host some of the matches.
© 2024 AAP
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