Monday 11 July 2016 13:13, UK
England internationals competing in Super League will face their longest season yet with the 2017 World Cup not finishing until December.
The tournament, hosted by Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, will culminate with the final on December 2 next year, by which time Super League clubs are usually back in pre-season training.
The 2016 Super League campaign began on February 4 and the 2017 campaign is unlikely to kick off any later, but with the World Cup set to start in Melbourne on October 27, players will have to deal with a reduced break between competitions.
The draw for the 2017 tournament will be made simultaneously at events in Brisbane and Auckland on Tuesday, July 19.
The World Cup organisers' chief executive Michael Brown and chairman George Peponis will be joined by coaches Mal Meninga (Australia), Stephen Kearney (New Zealand) and Michael Marum (PNG) and captains Cameron Smith, Jesse Bromwich and David Mead at the Australia launch at Suncorp Stadium.
England will be one of 14 nations set to play 28 games over five weeks in three countries at next year's World Cup.
The RFL confirmed England will be bidding to host the 2021 World Cup, which will also see the competition grow to include 16 teams and play 31 matches.