It's almost here! What's being billed as 'the global sporting event of 2013' is almost upon us, and with the teams arriving on UK soil earlier this week, a real sense of anticipation is beginning to grow around the Rugby League world. On October and November, 14 nations will battle it out across 21 venues to become the world champions and take home the coveted Rugby League World Cup trophy. The tournament will see some of the sports very best ply their trade on these shores, with superstars such as; Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater, Sonny Bill Williams and Cameron Smith to name but a few. If you're new to Rugby League, the World Cup would no doubt be a great starting block for you to watch what is sometimes described as 'the greatest game of all'. The tournament organisers appear to have done a wonderful job, with innovative concepts such as 'the big hit' semi-final double header at Wembley, and the staging of the tournament across 21 venues, reaching places such as Limerick in Ireland and Perpignan in the south of France. It is also reported that ticket sales are quite strong, with in excess of 50000 tickets sold for the semi-finals already, and a limited number of tickets available for the final, with large areas of the ground sold out. If everything goes to plan, it could be the greatest Rugby League World Cup of all time. Now, a bit of a historical context. The inaugural World Cup was played back in 1954, with Great Britain defeating Australia 16-12 in Paris to become the very first world champions. Since then, the Britons have recorded another 2 victories, New Zealand one, and Australia leading the way by a country mile with 9 victories to date. If you hadn't already guessed, Australia are very much a leading light in the sport of Rugby League. Anyway, enough waffling, it's time to get on with the team by team preview, but first, here are some key dates: 26th October: Opening Ceremony, Millenium Stadium, Cardiff 26th October- 11th November: Group Stages 15-17th November: Quarter Finals 23rd November: 'The Big Hit' Semi-Final Double Header, Wembley Stadium, London 30th November: Final, Old Trafford, Manchester. Now you're pretty much up to date, let's go through team by team, starting with the two lesser groups, C and D.