CAIRNS will host a rugby league international in October when Samoa and the Cook Islands clash at Barlow Park.

The two nations – likely to draw the majority of their players from the NRL and English Super League – will play in Cairns on October 17, with the winner taking a spot in the Pacific Cup, a tournament to be held in Port Moresby over two weekends from October 24-November 1.

Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Fiji have already qualified for the event, with Samoa and the Cook Islands fighting for the final spot.

Tas Baitieri, international development manager for the Rugby League International Federation, said Cairns was a "good fit" for the tournament.

"Cairns is crucial to the outcome of the competition," Baitieri said.

Sydney and New Zealand were also in line to host the qualifying match but Cairns’ proximity to the competing Pacific nations put it in the frame.

"When you look at where the players are coming from, Cairns or Brisbane became reasonable options," Baitieri said.

Cairns District Rugby League president Nigel Tillett said while the opportunity had come out of left field, it was something his organisation immediately embraced.

The match will be run by the CDRL, although the international federation will have staff on the ground during the event.

"We’ve got to put it together," Tillett said.

"The deed of agreement puts it squarely in our lap to run the event.

"I don’t see any problem with that because of the experience we have. I think it’ll be a bloody good evening."

Baitieri said stopovers by the Australian Rugby League’s Prime Minister’s XIII on their way to Papua New Guinea over the past few years, as well as the city’s international airport, medical facilities and league infrastructure were points that had attracted the match.

"They no doubt would have taken into account a lot of things about Cairns," Tillett said.

"I think our history hosting the NRL (pre-season) trials, the response to the State of Origin team (in 2008) were all part of it.

"They also know there’s a vast population of Samoans and Cook Islanders in Cairns and a lot of them play rugby league."

An All Blacks indigenous carnival is also being held in Cairns on the weekend of October 17-18 and Baitieri hoped it could be worked in with the international.

"It’s a good fit with the All Blacks carnival and for the indigenous communities of the Pacific and Australia," he said.

The Pacific Cup is a legacy of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup that will give Pacific nations the opportunity to join league heavyweights Australia, England and New Zealand in future Four Nations events.

The tournament will help Pacific nations prepare for future World Cup bids.

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