2023 Rugby World Cup
| Coupe du monde de rugby 2023 | |
|---|---|
 We Are Rugby #WeAre2023![1] | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host nation |  2023 Rugby World Cup |
| Dates | 8 September – 28 October 2023 |
| No. of nations | 20 |
The 2023 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the tenth men's Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It is scheduled to take place in France from 8 September to 28 October 2023 in nine venues across the country. The opening match and final will take place at the Stade de France, in the commune of Saint-Denis, north of Paris. The tournament will take place in the bicentenary year of the "invention" of the sport by William Webb Ellis.[2] Originally, the tournament was scheduled to last the typical six weeks; however, on 23 February 2021, World Rugby announced an additional week to accommodate the additional rest day requirement for player welfare. This means that teams will have a minimum of five rest days for all matches, optimising recovery and preparation for the tournament. It will be the third time France has hosted the Rugby World Cup, having previously hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, as well as the 1991 Rugby World Cup as joint hosts with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It precedes the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and will take place less than a year before the Olympic opening ceremony.
The defending champions are South Africa, who defeated England 32–12 in the 2019 final.
Chile will make its first ever appearance at the Rugby World Cup, and Portugal will return for its second appearance, after 16 years.
Host country selection
World Rugby requested that any members wishing to host the 2023 event were to submit an expression of interest by June 2015. A total of six unions responded. The Italian Rugby Federation were among the members interested, but withdrew from their bid on 28 September 2016. The Argentine Rugby Union and USA Rugby both expressed their interest in hosting the event but ultimately decided against a formal bid.[citation needed] Three bids were officially submitted to World Rugby by the June 2017 deadline.
On 15 November 2017, the French Rugby Federation bid was chosen ahead of bids by the South African Rugby Union and the Irish Rugby Football Union. France had launched its bid on 9 February 2017.[3]
Venues
On 17 March 2017, twelve host cities were selected.[4] This list was later reduced to nine cities (excluding Paris, Montpellier and Lens):
| Saint-Denis (Paris) |
Marseille | Décines-Charpieu (Lyon) |
Villeneuve-d'Ascq (Lille) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stade de Franceab | Stade Vélodromea | Parc Olympique Lyonnais | Stade Pierre-Mauroy |
| Capacity: 80,698 | Capacity: 67,394 | Capacity: 59,186 | Capacity: 50,186 |
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| Bordeaux | |||
| Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux | |||
| Capacity: 42,115 | |||
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| Saint-Étienne | Nice | Nantes | Toulouse |
| Stade Geoffroy-Guicharda | Allianz Riviera | Stade de la Beaujoirea | Stadium Municipalab |
| Capacity: 41,965 | Capacity: 35,624 | Capacity: 35,322 | Capacity: 33,150 |
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a Stadium/site used in 2007 Rugby World Cup. b Stadium/site used in 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Team base camps
| National squads' base camps | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Qualifying
Twenty teams are set to compete. A total of 12 teams gained automatic qualification for the tournament after finishing in the top three of their pool at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which included France already automatically qualified as host. The remaining eight spaces will be decided by regional competitions followed by a few cross-regional play-offs. The final spot will be decided by a repechage tournament in November 2022. Spain originally qualified as Europe 2, but Romania complained that they had fielded an ineligible player during the qualifying tournament. After a controversial investigation, it was concluded that the player had falsified his passport and Spain suffered a deduction of 10 points, resulting in Romania replacing them as Europe 2 and Portugal taking Romania's spot in the repechage tournament.[5] On November 18th of 2022, Portugal won the repechage tournament to be the last country to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It was the first time Canada did not qualify for the Rugby World Cup, the first time since 1995 that the USA did not quality, and the first time three teams from South America qualified.
The below table shows the qualified teams as of 18 November 2022:
| Region | Team | Qualification method |
Previous apps |
Previous best result | World Rugby Ranking¹ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa |  South Africa
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 7 | Champions (1995, 2007, 2019) | 4 |
 Namibia
|
Africa 1 | 6 | Pool stage (1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) | 21 | |
| Asia |  Japan
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 9 | Quarter-finals (2019) | 10 |
| Europe | France
|
Hosts | 9 | Runners-up (1987, 1999, 2011) | 2 |
 England
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 9 | Champions (2003) | 5 | |
 Ireland
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 9 | Quarter-finals (seven times) | 1 | |
 Italy
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 9 | Pool stage (nine times) | 12 | |
 Scotland
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 9 | Fourth place (1991) | 6 | |
 Wales
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 9 | Third place (1987) | 9 | |
 Georgia
|
Europe 1 | 5 | Pool stage (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) | 13 | |
 Romania
|
Europe 2 | 8 | Pool stage (eight times) | 20 | |
 Portugal
|
Final Qualifier | 1 | Pool stage (2007) | 18 | |
| Oceania |  Australia
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 9 | Champions (1991, 1999) | 8 |
 Fiji
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 8 | Quarter-finals (1987, 2007) | 14 | |
 New Zealand
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 9 | Champions (1987, 2011, 2015) | 3 | |
 Samoa
|
Oceania 1 | 8 | Quarter-finals (1991, 1995) | 11 | |
 Tonga
|
Asia/Pacific 1 | 8 | Pool stage (eight times) | 15 | |
| America |  Argentina
|
Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 9 | Third place (2007) | 7 |
 Uruguay
|
Americas 1 | 4 | Pool stage (1999, 2003, 2015, 2019) | 17 | |
 Chile
|
Americas 2 | 0 | Debut | 22 |
¹as of 21 November 2022
Draw
The pool draw took place on 14 December 2020 in Paris.[6] The draw returned to its traditional place of the year following the previous World Cup, after the end-of-year internationals.
The seeding system from previous Rugby World Cups was retained with the 12 automatic qualifiers from 2019 being allocated to their respective bands based on their World Rugby Rankings on 1 January 2020:
- Band 1: The four highest-ranked teams
- Band 2: The next four highest-ranked teams
- Band 3: The final four directly qualified teams
The remaining two bands were made up of the eight qualifying teams, with allocation to each band being based on the previous Rugby World Cup playing strength:
- Band 4: – Oceania 1, Europe 1, Americas 1, Asia/Pacific 1
- Band 5: – Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2, Final Qualifier Winner
This meant the 20 teams, qualified and qualifiers, were seeded thus (world ranking as of 1 January 2020):
| Band 1 | Band 2 | Band 3 | Band 4 | Band 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pool stage
Template:2023 Rugby World Cup pool stage key
Pool A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France (H)
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 210 | 32 | +178 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 18 | Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 | New Zealand
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 253 | 47 | +206 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 15 | |
| 3 | Italy
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 114 | 181 | −67 | 15 | 25 | 2 | 10 | Qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 | Uruguay
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 164 | −99 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5 | Namibia
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 37 | 255 | −218 | 3 | 37 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 September 2023 | France |
v | New Zealand |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis |
| 9 September 2023 | Italy |
v | Namibia |
Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne |
| 14 September 2023 | France |
v | Uruguay |
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille |
| 15 September 2023 | New Zealand |
v | Namibia |
Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse |
| 20 September 2023 | Italy |
v | Uruguay |
Allianz Riviera, Nice |
| 21 September 2023 | France |
v | Namibia |
Stade Vélodrome, Marseille |
| 27 September 2023 | Uruguay |
v | Namibia |
Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu |
| 29 September 2023 | New Zealand |
v | Italy |
Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu |
| 5 October 2023 | New Zealand |
v | Uruguay |
Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu |
| 6 October 2023 | France |
v | Italy |
Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu |
Pool B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 190 | 46 | +144 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 19 | Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 | South Africa
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 151 | 34 | +117 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | |
| 3 | Scotland
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 146 | 71 | +75 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 10 | Qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 | Tonga
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 96 | 177 | −81 | 13 | 25 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5 | Romania
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 287 | −255 | 4 | 43 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 September 2023 | Ireland |
v | Romania |
Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux |
| 10 September 2023 | South Africa |
v | Scotland |
Stade Vélodrome, Marseille |
| 16 September 2023 | Ireland |
v | Tonga |
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes |
| 17 September 2023 | South Africa |
v | Romania |
Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux |
| 23 September 2023 | South Africa |
v | Ireland |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis |
| 24 September 2023 | Scotland |
v | Tonga |
Allianz Riviera, Nice |
| 30 September 2023 | Scotland |
v | Romania |
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille |
| 1 October 2023 | South Africa |
v | Tonga |
Stade Vélodrome, Marseille |
| 7 October 2023 | Ireland |
v | Scotland |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis |
| 8 October 2023 | Tonga |
v | Romania |
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille |
Pool C
Template:2023 Rugby World Cup Pool C
| 9 September 2023 | Australia |
v | Georgia |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis |
| 10 September 2023 | Wales |
v | Fiji |
Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux |
| 16 September 2023 | Wales |
v | Portugal |
Allianz Riviera, Nice |
| 17 September 2023 | Australia |
v | Fiji |
Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne |
| 23 September 2023 | Georgia |
v | Portugal |
Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse |
| 24 September 2023 | Wales |
v | Australia |
Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu |
| 30 September 2023 | Fiji |
v | Georgia |
Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux |
| 1 October 2023 | Australia |
v | Portugal |
Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne |
| 7 October 2023 | Wales |
v | Georgia |
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes |
| 8 October 2023 | Fiji |
v | Portugal |
Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse |
Pool D
Template:2023 Rugby World Cup Pool D
| 9 September 2023 | England |
v | Argentina |
Stade Vélodrome, Marseille |
| 10 September 2023 | Japan |
v | Chile |
Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse |
| 16 September 2023 | Samoa |
v | Chile |
Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux |
| 17 September 2023 | England |
v | Japan |
Allianz Riviera, Nice |
| 22 September 2023 | Argentina |
v | Samoa |
Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne |
| 23 September 2023 | England |
v | Chile |
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille |
| 28 September 2023 | Japan |
v | Samoa |
Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse |
| 30 September 2023 | Argentina |
v | Chile |
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes |
| 7 October 2023 | England |
v | Samoa |
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille |
| 8 October 2023 | Japan |
v | Argentina |
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes |
Knockout stage
The knockout stage of the Rugby World Cup will consist of three single-elimination rounds leading to a final and a third-place playoff. Following a tie in regulation time, two 10-minute periods of extra time will be used to determine a winner. If the scores are tied at the end of extra time, an additional 10-minute "sudden death" period is played, with the first team to score any points being declared the winner. If the score remains tied at the end of extra time, a kicking competition would ensue.
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 14 October – Marseille | ||||||||||
| Winner of Pool C | ||||||||||
| 20 October – Saint-Denis | ||||||||||
| Runner-up of Pool D | ||||||||||
| Winner of QF1 | ||||||||||
| 14 October – Saint-Denis | ||||||||||
| Winner of QF2 | ||||||||||
| Winner of Pool B | ||||||||||
| 28 October – Saint-Denis | ||||||||||
| Runner-up of Pool A | ||||||||||
| Winner of SF1 | ||||||||||
| 15 October – Marseille | ||||||||||
| Winner of SF2 | ||||||||||
| Winner of Pool D | ||||||||||
| 21 October – Saint-Denis | ||||||||||
| Runner-up of Pool C | ||||||||||
| Winner of QF3 | ||||||||||
| 15 October – Saint-Denis | ||||||||||
| Winner of QF4 | Bronze final | |||||||||
| Winner of Pool A | ||||||||||
| 27 October – Saint-Denis | ||||||||||
| Runner-up of Pool B | ||||||||||
| Loser of SF1 | ||||||||||
| Loser of SF2 | ||||||||||
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Bronze final
Final
Broadcasting
France – TF1 Group[7]
Netherlands – Ziggo Sport[8]
South Africa – SuperSport
United Kingdom – ITV[9]
United States – NBC Sports[10]
Australia – Stan Sport (all matches) and Nine Network (all Australia matches and the final)[11]
Italy – RAI and Sky Sport Italia[12]
New Zealand Sky Sport (New Zealand)[13]
See also
References
- ^ "The 2023 Rugby World Cup Slogan is Unveiled". us.media.france.fr. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "Webb Ellis, William", Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ "Rugby: France launch 2023 World Cup bid", Reuters, 9 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017
- ^ "#France2023 : Douze villes hôtes retenues" (in French). sport24.com. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "INDEPENDENT JUDICIAL COMMITTEE DECISION: RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023 EUROPEAN QUALIFYING". rugbyworldcup.com. Rugby World Cup. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Stage set for Rugby World Cup 2023 Draw - Rugby World Cup 2023". rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup 2019 and TF1 continue record broadcast partnership".
- ^ "Ziggo Sport acquires rights to Rugby World Cup". BroadbandTV News. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "ITV appointed UK rights holder for men's and women's Rugby World Cup events". rugbybworldcup.com. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ "NBC Sports Group acquires exclusive U.S. media rights to Rugby World Cup". 22 May 2017.
- ^ "Stan Sport and Nine win broadcast rights for men's and women's Rugby World Cups". 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup 2023: la Rai e Sky trasmetteranno tutte le partite del Mondiale". 22 September 2022.
- ^ Keall, Chris. "Sky TV wins Rugby World Cup rights through to 2029, offloads Rugbypass". ZB. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
External links
