Revealed: Where the 2024 World Club Challenge will be played

Wigan Warriors are the Super League Champions and that sets them up for a huge game against NRL Champions the Penrith Panthers.

Wigan have a special history in the competition being the first team to go down under to win the World Club Challenge. They also returned to Australia to try and win the World Club Challenge in 2014 against Sydney Roosters but came up short.

They were also the last British team to win the trophy until St Helens ended a six year wait to see an English team crowned World Champions last year. Wigan defeated Cronulla Sharks at the DW Stadium in 2017 having lost at the same ground in 2011 to St George Illawarra Dragons and in 2019 to Sydney.

Against the three-time reigning NRL Champions, the Warriors will have a difficult task ahead of them in the 2024 World Club Challenge and coach Matt Peet wanted to make it even tougher wanting to play the game down under whilst others including Kris Radlinski have pushed for the game to join the opening games of the NRL season in Las Vegas.

However, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, the World Club Challenge will be held in the UK likely at the DW Stadium.

This is because Penrith are not being included in the Pre-season Challenge tournament in Australia and will instead be in the UK with the Sydney Morning Herald revealing the leaked Pre-season schedule.

Pre-season schedule:

February 11: Rabbitohs v Sea Eagles on Central Coast
February 16: Indigenous All Stars v Maori All Stars

Pre-season week one (February 15-18):

Dogs v Storm at Belmore
Sharks v Knights at Central Coast Stadium
Manly v Roosters at Central Coast Stadium
Warriors v Tigers at TBC
Broncos v Cowboys at Mackay
Dragons v Rabbitohs at Kogarah
Eels v Raiders at Kogarah
Dolphins v Titans at Sunshine Coast

Pre-season week two (February February 22-25):

Sharks v Bulldogs at Cronulla
Roosters v Rabbitohs at Cronulla
Dragons v Tigers in Mudgee
Manly v Broncos in Manly
Titans v Eels in Ipswich
Storm v Knights in Fiji
Raiders v Cowboys in Queanbeyan

The Herald also claim that Penrith will begin their season against Melbourne Storm on the 8th March with the World Club Challenge set to take place before that. The date rumoured is the 24th of February.

Expected round one schedule:

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Manly Sea Eagles (March 2 in Las Vegas)
Brisbane Broncos v Sydney Roosters (March 2 in Las Vegas)
Newcastle Knights v Canberra Raiders (Thursday, March 7)
New Zealand Warriors v Sharks (Friday, March 8)
Melbourne Storm v Penrith Panthers (Friday, March 8)
Parramatta Eels v Canterbury Bulldogs (Saturday, March 9)
Gold Coast Titans v St George Illawarra Dragons (Saturday, March 9)
Dolphins v North Queensland Cowboys (Sunday, March 10)
Wests Tigers receive bye