World Cups should capture the imagination. Take your pick of any sport, and their respective history will be defined by World Cup moments that live long in the memory of those who witnessed them.

In 1986, Diego Maradona scored football’s most famous and most infamous goals within four minutes of each other in Argentina’s World Cup quarterfinal against England. Ben Stokes’ heroic match-winning innings in the 2019 Cricket ODI World Cup final propelled him into one of the most recognisable figures in world sport. And in 1995, the image of Nelson Mandela wearing a South African shirt alongside Springboks captain Francois Pienaar holding the World Cup trophy has become ingrained in sports fans’ minds as one of its most memorable moments.

Rugby League isn’t too different. New Zealand’s upset victory over Australia in the 2008 World Cup Final changed the perspective on the international game for the years following it, a legacy continued by Tonga’s valiant and groundbreaking run to the semi-finals of the 2017 edition. For all of these reasons, eyes should be on this year’s Rugby League World Cup. 

Yet, with its British and Irish broadcasting rights now being hidden behind a Premier Sports paywall, combined with a less-than-ideal Australian timezone, eyes could be harder to come by. 

Should you wish to watch the 18 matches in the men’s tournament in the UK, it will cost you £18 for the month. Sure, the price is, on the surface, good value, but when you factor in the £20 per month cost of Super League+, added to whatever Sky Sports now costs per month, the cost of being a Rugby League fan is steadily rising. 

The BBC was reportedly not interested in broadcasting the tournament on free-to-air television, despite having shown the previous edition. The 2021 edition, postponed to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, being a home tournament perhaps contributed to the BBC’s willingness to show it.

Yes, you can imagine this time around they weren’t too convinced on the financial necessity of showing Fiji vs Cook Islands at five in the morning, but England games on free to air TV as a minimum should be a necessity. In placing them on Premier Sports, a subscription service with an already-low offering as a base, the game is being taken away from devoted viewers as well as potential casual fans. 

And those are just the financial concerns about the deal. It’s well understood that Rugby League is not like other sports when it comes to the international game. There are only two professional domestic leagues, and when the two countries those leagues are primarily based in meet internationally, the matchup is one-sided. Australia have won 12 of the 16 World Cups that have taken place, and have only failed to reach the final once. 

Evidence like this would suggest that appetite for international rugby would be low, but that also doesn’t feel correct.

The appointment of Brian McDermott as England coach for the World Cup did generate excitement, as English fans pondered if this one was going to be different, and would allow us to stand up to the big bad bully from down under. Debates over the starting XIII for England’s first game against Tonga drive engagement and clicks. Mikey Lewis being sent to the sin bin in Hull KR’s clash with Warrington this past week saw a response focused on the fact he had played his way out of England contention. Response was not, as you might have expected, focused on how a potential further suspension would considerably jeopardise his side’s chances of making a serious dent in the playoffs. 

Perhaps for many, the idea of a World Cup is better as a hypothetical, one disconnected from the idea that we actually have to watch it at some point. 

That itself is bizarre for a sport that seems on the precipice of a global explosion. The NRL is expanding into Papua New Guinea, and has contractually locked itself into a broadcast deal that all-but guarantees another team by 2029, with another team in New Zealand most likely. They’ve been to Vegas multiple times, joined by Super League, which itself is about to take a couple of games to Dublin.

The NRL also looks set to sign a deal with the Super League that would give Australia’s premier sporting competition a hefty chunk of control over its English counterpart. Peter V’Landys assuming the role of NRL CEO on an ‘interim’ basis, in conjunction with his already existing role of chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission, has allowed him to take the handbrake off his ideas to grow the game on a worldwide scale. As a result, the concept of ‘Global Round’ is rapidly becoming far more than merely a concept. 

Lachlan Galvin wants to go to Hong Kong. Cameron Munster wants to go to Ibiza. Eddie Jones has even suggested there could be an NRL team in Japan. The sport is about to globalise itself to a level we have never seen before, and with the state of the game in England at the moment, it’s imperative to be a part of it. 

A World Cup should be the perfect chance to do so, so let’s start by having it on a few more screens at home. Imagination’s can’t be captured if people are unable to watch without digging into their wallets.