| Year: | 1981 |
| European Championship | |
| Finalists: | 3 |
| Winners: | France |
| Count: | 6 |
| Matches: | 3 |
| Topscorer: | José Moya (10)[1] |
| Top Try Scorer: | Joël Roosebrouck (2) |
| Tournaments: | Rugby League European Cup |
| Last: | 1980 |
| Next: | 1995 |
The 1981 European Rugby League Championship was the 22nd edition of the Rugby League European Championship, an rugby league tournament that took place in Europe. The tournament saw the same three teams that competed in the previous edition in 1980.
The format was a single round-robin format with the matches being played between January to March 1981. After the three matches were played, France took out their 11th title by defeating the other two opponents in England and Wales.
| Hull |  Narbonne | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boothferry Park, Hull | Stade de l'Egassiarial, Narbonne | Headingley | |
| Capacity: 15,160 | Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 30,000 | |
Source:[2]
--------
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Diff | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 6 | +22 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 40 | −31 | 0 |