2002 - The tournament was first played in 2002 with 11 nations competing in Melbourne. Ireland defeated Papua New Guinea in the final. The other teams were New Zealand, Denmark, USA, Great Britain, Samoa, Nauru, Canada, Japan, South Africa. Click on the logo at left to access stories and images (note that the first Cup pre-dates World Footy News so we provide a single summary story here).
2005 - The event returned in 2005, again to Melbourne and also the regional town of Wangaratta. 12 countries were expected with Spain the fresh faces, but funding and player availability saw Denmark and Nauru as late withdrawals, reducing the total to 10. Papua New Guinea again made the final, but went down to New Zealand. Click on the logo at left to access stories, images and video.
2008 - The third Cup is scheduled for Melbourne in 2008, to coincide with the 150th anniversary of what is widely recognised as the first game of Australian Football (though the roots of this and all codes of football go back much further). Anywhere between 8 and 20 countries may attend, with around 16 to 18 most likely. Click on the logo at left to read the stories so far.
