The seventh Universities Rugby League World Cup is ready to kick off on Saturday following this morning's opening ceremony at Parliament House.

Australia, New Zealand, France, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Greece will all compete for the world crown.

The Universities Cup will be the first of many tournaments during the festival of rugby league, which concludes with the Rugby League World Cup in November.

Australian coach Brett Kenny said the said the competition was important for the future of the sport.

"It's going to do the game a lot of good with a lot of young guys playing at the moment," he said.

"I don't think the game is going as well as people might think and if we can get a bit more interest in these sorts of competitions it can only benefit the game."

The New Zealand team, aiming for their third cup in a row, set the scene for the tournament by performing the Haka at Parliament House this morning.

"Our toughest competition will be New Zealand and if everything pans out the way they expect it to, we'll be meeting them in the final," Kenny said.

The cup kicks off at 1pm on Saturday when New Zealand take on France at Griffith University's Nathan campus.

Australia then face archrivals England at 6.15pm.

The finals will be held on July 19 at Langlands Park, Stones Corner.