Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett has cast doubt on whether the new World Club Series will be open to the top three NRL clubs next season and says he would be happy for the Broncos to play on an annual basis.

The Broncos continue their rivalry with Wigan when they play last year's second-placed Super League team and eventually it is assumed the concept will become like the UEFA Champions League with clubs having to qualify.

But Bennett said Brisbane, South Sydney and St George Illawarra had been invited because they were three of the game's most popular teams and he believes the interest generated in the inaugural WCS may prompt organisers to want them to remain involved.

"When I went back to the Broncos I asked why were we coming here and they said because the English requested us," Bennett said. "The Broncos are one of the most popular clubs and it makes sense. If the fans want the most popular teams here then why not stick with the same teams. Obviously from an English point of view, they can go one, two and three, but I am happy with however it works. I just like showcasing the game and I think it is wonderful.

"They put their competition off for a week as well, which is a big commitment by them.  We haven't been able to do that for Test matches at different stages of our lives because they didn't want to put off the competition. The international game has always been important to me and the response over here has been pretty good. The grounds are all sold out so it is a bit like the Nines, the fans are saying they want to see this."

Bennett is looking forward to pitting his team against Wigan after being at the helm of the Broncos during the epic World Club Challenge battles between the two clubs in 1992 and 1993. Brisbane won the first year in England but lost in 1993. They also met again in 1997 in a match remembered by many for the altercation between Gorden Tallis and Terry O'Connor, in which the Wigan prop finished on top.

Hostilities from that match still linger, with the tension noticeable at a WCS dinner at the Imperial War Museum in Manchester on Wednesday night when Brisbane assistant coach Kevin Walters and his former halves partner Allan Langer were being interviewed on stage with Wigan mentor and ex-forward Shaun Wane and former teammate Denis Betts, who now coaches Widnes.

The Broncos have brought a full-strength team over, with the exception of injured stars such as Darius Boyd and Jack Reed, and Bennett said the players wanted to win. "Wigan have always been at the top of the game in England and I just thought it was ironic that I was going back to the Broncos and we were playing Wigan again," Bennett said. "We are taking this very seriously, I have left six blokes behind who are recovering from post-season operations but everyone else who I think are our best players is here."

The likes of Justin Hodges, Corey Parker and Sam Thaiday were at the club when Bennett last coached there in 2008 before three-year stints at St George Illawarra and Newcastle. According to the seven-times premiership mentor, it was like he had never been away and Bennett is confident he can quickly rebuild Brisbane into a premiership force again.

"It just feels right being there and from the moment I walked back in the door it never felt like this is strange, this is different, what am I doing here," Bennett said. "It's my home and I am back with my family so that is really good. It feels right and to be honest with you I don't think it is that different, not the environment anyway. I think there are some things that have been eroded a bit but basically they can be fixed and it is not a basket case."