The European qualification tournament took place in France with semi-finals played before a final to determine the winner. A third v fourth match was played for world rankings on finals day. France as the highest seed met Ukraine in the semi-finals, with Serbia as the second highest seed drawing Wales.

Cook Islands (Asia-Pacific), Jamaica (Americas) and South Africa (Middle East & Africa) qualified for inter-regional competition as the only non-qualified full members in their respective regions, with France (Europe) having earned their place through the previous year’s European qualification tournament. Northern hemisphere teams France and Jamaica were paired for the first fixture, with France designated host as the highest ranked, whilst Cook Islands and South Africa took part in the Southern Hemisphere event, hosted in Sydney.