IRL Men's Rugby League World Cup 2000 Qualifiers
In 1997 the RLIF Board determined that one team would qualify for the 2000 Lincoln Financial Group Rugby League World Cup, joining 15 pre-qualified nations. The Cook Islands, Ireland, New Zealand Maori, Russia and Scotland joined the 10 teams that had played in the previous edition. The expansion from 10 to 16 teams followed the success of the centenary World Cup in 1995. This marked the first time that qualifiers would be used in a World Cup.
Two Inter-Regional groups were set up, with the winners playing one another to qualify for the finals. Lebanon defeated the United States in a bad-tempered decider in Florida to qualify.
IRL Men’s Rugby League World Cup 2000 (Inter-Regional) Qualifiers: Mediterranean
France also participated in the 1999 Mediterranean Cup but, as a pre-qualified nation, its results did not affect the qualification competition. It was a co-host of the 2000 World Cup.
The competition was blighted by severe weather that disrupted the original schedule, forcing it to be moved from Lezignan. Against Morocco, Hazem El Masri set a world record for an international, scoring 48 points.
IRL Men’s Rugby League World Cup 2000 (Inter-Regional) Qualifiers: Pacific
USA did not concede a point as they looked to further the game's popularity at home, fielding a team that included well known Pacific, Australian- and UK-based professionals at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex.
Japan's victory against Canada was their first win (Canada was also winless at the time, and finished the tournament with a seventh successive loss).