Vodafone Fiji Bati and Fiji Bulikula will feature in the 2023 Pacific Championships which will be played in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in October and November this year.
The Pacific Championships will be staged in 2023 and 2024, after the NRL and NRLW Premiership seasons, and will include men’s and women’s teams from Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Cook Islands.
The Australian Rugby League Commission in a statement confirmed that six men’s teams and seven women’s teams will take part in the 2023 tournament across two pools, which will begin on October 14.
The men’s tournaments will culminate in finals in Hamilton, New Zealand, and Port Moresby on November 4-5.
The 2023 Championships will include two match days in Australia, two in New Zealand and four in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
The Commission also announced a partnership with the Australian Government in order to promote and develop Rugby League in the Pacific through the Championships.
The partnership with the Australian Government will facilitate the development of high-performance pathways for Pacific athletes, coaches, referees and administrators, and continue to build a strong sports economy in the region.
“The Pacific Championships mark the beginning of an exciting new phase of international rugby league competition in the Pacific for both women and men,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
“Geography makes us neighbours, but through sport, we build strong and lasting ties across the Pacific family.”
Tickets for matches in Australia will be released in September.
