2027 Men's Rugby World Cup
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host nation |  Australia |
| Dates | 1 October – 13 November 2027 |
| No. of nations | 24[1] |
← 2023 2031 → | |
The 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the eleventh edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It is scheduled to take place in Australia from 1 October to 13 November 2027.
The tournament will be the first branded as the Men's Rugby World Cup, a change that was announced in October 2023 to promote gender parity.[2] All previous editions were branded as simply the Rugby World Cup (with the Women's tournament branded as the Women's Rugby World Cup between 1991—2017 and without a gender designation for the 2021 tournament).
The defending champions are South Africa, who beat New Zealand 12–11 in the 2023 final.
Host selection and bidding
[edit]World Rugby was hoping to award the bids for both the 2027 and 2031 men's World Cups (along with the bids for the 2025 and 2029 women's World Cups) by May 2022. The process of talking to prospective nations began in February 2021 with the formal candidate process commencing three months later. Finalists were evaluated in February 2022.[3]
As of June 2019, Argentina, Australia and Russia had declared their interest in hosting the 2027 Rugby World Cup,[4][5] but Argentina withdrew their bid in April 2020, leaving two bidders.[6] There was speculation that the United States and South Africa would be interested in hosting the event, but the South African Rugby Union has stated that it would not be bidding for the 2027 World Cup.[7]
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont suggested in late 2018 that the host of the Rugby World Cup following the 2023 event in France could be an emerging nation.[8] World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper also suggested in 2019 that World Rugby may bid the 2027 and 2031 World Cups together (as they did with England 2015 and Japan 2019), so that they could make “a bolder decision and a traditional decision.”[9] The hosts for the 2027 and 2031 tournaments were to be revealed in May 2022.[10]
The fact that three consecutive World Cups (England 2015, Japan 2019, and France 2023) will have occurred in the northern hemisphere made the southern hemisphere countries considered the favourites.[11]
On 12 May 2022, it was announced that Australia would host the 2027 Rugby World Cup.[12]
Announced bidders
[edit]Australia
[edit]Rugby Australia announced on 13 December 2017 that Australia would bid for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.[13] Australia has previously hosted the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup together with New Zealand, as well as the 2003 Rugby World Cup on its own.
Withdrawn bids
[edit]Argentina
[edit]Argentina had announced on 5 October 2016 that it would bid for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but withdrew its bid in April 2020. Argentina has never hosted the tournament before, and World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont had pledged that he would back the right of countries such as Argentina to bid for the event.[14] Argentina is the only country to reach the World Cup semi-finals that has not hosted any World Cup matches.[15] In April 2020, Argentina withdrew its bid to strengthen the Australian bid, making Australia favourites for the 2027 Rugby World Cup host.[6][16]
Russia
[edit]Stanislav Druzhinin of the Russian Rugby Union said at a meeting on 31 May 2019 that Russia would apply to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Russia would use the 2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums and legacy for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.[17][18] President Vladimir Putin backed Russia's bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup.[19]
Rugby Union of Russia could not proceed with its bid to host after Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) imposed a two-year ban on 17 December 2020 on Russia hosting any major sports tournament.[20]
Expansion
[edit]Talks of expanding the tournament to 24 teams intensified after the performances of emerging nations like Chile and Portugal at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and on 4 October 2023, it was reported that World Rugby had decided to expand the World Cup to 24 teams in order to help grow the sport.[21] A "Swiss model" pool stage similar to those adopted by the European Rugby Champions Cup and football's UEFA Champions League, or six pools of four with an additional round of 16 were under consideration.[22]
The expansion to 24 teams was confirmed on 24 October 2023.[23][24][25]
Format
[edit]To accommodate the expansion from a 20-team finals tournament to 24 teams, the format was changed from the one used in 2023 with the addition of two extra groups in the group stage, and an extra round in the knockout phase.[26]
Development and preparations
[edit]Australia won their bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup on 12 May 2022.[27]
The tournament will be the first branded as the Men's Rugby World Cup, a change that was announced in October 2023.[28] All previous editions were branded as simply the Rugby World Cup, with the Women's tournament branded as the Women's Rugby World Cup between 1991—2017 and without a gender designation in 2021 tournament.
Venues
[edit]Nine venues in seven cities are potential match venues for the tournament.[29]
| Sydney, New South Wales | Newcastle, New South Wales | Map | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium Australiaa (Homebush, New South Wales) |
Sydney Football Stadiumab (Moore Park, New South Wales) |
Newcastle International Sports Centre | |
| Capacity: 82,000 | Capacity: 42,500 | Capacity: 30,000 | |
|
|
.jpg)
| |
| Melbourne, Victoria | Adelaide, South Australia | ||
| Docklands Stadiuma (Docklands, Victoria) |
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium (Olympic Boulevard, Victoria) |
Adelaide Ovala | |
| Capacity: 53,343 | Capacity: 30,050 | Capacity: 53,500 | |
|
.jpg)
|
| |
| Perth, Western Australia | Brisbane, Queensland | Townsville, Queensland | |
| Perth Stadium | Lang Parka | North Queensland Stadium | |
| Capacity: 65,000 | Capacity: 52,500 | Capacity: 25,000 | |
|
|
| |
a Stadium/site used in 2003 Rugby World Cup.
ab Stadium now built on the land of the old Sydney Football Stadium.
Teams
[edit]Qualification
[edit]A total of 12 teams gained automatic qualification for the tournament by finishing in the top three of their pool at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, these positions being determined at the close of the pool stage.[30] The qualification process for the tournament was confirmed by World Rugby on 13 August 2024. Four teams will qualify from Europe, three from the Pacific, one each from Africa, Asia and South America, one from a South America/Pacific play-off, and one from a four-team repechage tournament.[31]
| Region | Team | Qualification method |
Previous apps |
Previous best result | World Rugby Ranking¹ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa |  South Africa
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 8 | Champions (1995, 2007, 2019, 2023) | |
| Africa 1 | 2025 Rugby Africa Cup Champions | ||||
| Asia |  Japan
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 10 | Quarter-finals (2019) | |
| Asia 1 | 2025 Asia Rugby Championship Champions | ||||
| Europe |  England
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 10 | Champions (2003) | |
 France
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 10 | Runners-up (1987, 1999, 2011) | ||
 Ireland
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 10 | Quarter-finals (eight times) | ||
 Italy
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 10 | Pool stage (ten times) | ||
 Scotland
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 10 | Fourth place (1991) | ||
 Wales
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 10 | Third place (1987) | ||
| Europe 1 | 2025 Rugby Europe Championship Champions | ||||
| Europe 2 | 2025 Rugby Europe Championship Runners-up | ||||
| Europe 3 | 2025 Rugby Europe Championship Third place | ||||
| Europe 4 | 2025 Rugby Europe Championship Fourth place | ||||
| Oceania/Pacific | Australia
|
Hosts | 10 | Champions (1991, 1999) | |
 Fiji
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 9 | Quarter-finals (1987, 2007, 2023) | ||
 New Zealand
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 10 | Champions (1987, 2011, 2015) | ||
| Pacific 1 | 2025 Pacific Nations Cup #1 | ||||
| Pacific 2 | 2025 Pacific Nations Cup #2 | ||||
| Pacific 3 | 2025 Pacific Nations Cup #3 | ||||
| South America |  Argentina
|
2023 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage | 10 | Third place (2007) | |
| South America 1 | 2025 Sudamérica Rugby Championship Champions | ||||
| South America/Pacific Play-off | Repechage 1 | Play-off winner | |||
| Final Qualification Tournament | Repechage 2 | Play-off winner |
References
[edit]- ^ "Historic rugby calendar reform to supercharge reach and competitiveness". World Rugby Council. 24 October 2023. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "New visual identity revealed as Rugby World Cup embraces exciting future and rugby's unique energy". World Rugby. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
In addition to the new logo, Rugby World Cup has also updated its host naming convention to now include Women's and Men's. The decision aims to promote unity across the tournament and provide clarity and consistency for fans. As the pinnacle of both the men's and women's 15s game, Rugby World Cup's progressive approach to naming gives both genders equal billing, in line with World Rugby's commitment to equality and inclusivity in the sport.
- ^ "USA Rugby considering bid for Rugby World Cup 2027". Stuff. 14 August 2020. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "Australia to bid for 2027 Rugby World Cup and 2021 women's tournament". Guardian Australia. 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ "Argentina announces 2027 Rugby World Cup bid". Rugby.com.au. 5 October 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ a b Mulvanney, Nick (16 April 2020). "Argentina ready to abandon 2027 Rugby World Cup bid making Australia strong favourites to host tournament". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ Richardson, James (16 August 2020). "South Africa will not bid for 2027 or 2031 Rugby World Cup – Reports". The South African. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "Australia and South Africa could miss out on 2027 Rugby World Cup as Bill Beaumont says another emerging nation could host tournament". Fox Sports Australia. 20 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup in sights of United States". www.insidethegames.biz. 26 September 2019. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup 2027 and 2031 hosts to be announced in May 2022". www.rugby-addict.com. 13 August 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- ^ Neville, Conor (15 November 2017). "Why France win was the worst possible result for Ireland". RTÉ Sport. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup 2025: England to host women's tournament". BBC Sport. 12 May 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "Australia bidding for 2027 Rugby World Cup". SBS News. 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ Cleary, Mick (17 November 2017). "I will not resign, insists beleaguered Bill Beaumont in the eye of World Cup storm". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ Tait, Paul (25 April 2017). "RWC 2027 in Argentina will cost US$200 million". Americas Rugby News. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ Gillen, Nancy (16 April 2020). "Argentina withdraw 2027 Rugby World Cup bid to strengthen Australian campaign". insidethegames.biz. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ "Russia To Bid To Host RWC 2027". 6 October 2019. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ Dyachkova, Elena (31 May 2019). "Федерация регби России может подать заявку на проведение КМ-2027" [Russian Rugby Federation will apply to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup]. Ria (in Russian). Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ "Vladamir Putin has backed Russian bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup". 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Россия не сможет претендовать на проведение Кубка мира по регби из-за решения CAS" (in Russian). 30 March 2021. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ Kitson, Robert (4 October 2023). "World Rugby to reject plate competition for emerging nations at World Cups". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Kelleher, Will (27 September 2023). "Rugby World Cup could be expanded to 24 teams from 2027". Times. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup 2027 expanded to 24 teams ｜ Rugby World Cup 2023". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Historic rugby calendar reform to supercharge reach and competitiveness". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia expanding to 24 teams with shorter schedule". AP News. 24 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup 2027 expanded to 24 teams". World Rugby (Press release). 24 October 2023. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia expanding to 24 teams with shorter schedule". AP News. 24 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "New visual identity revealed as Rugby World Cup embraces exciting future and rugby's unique energy". www.world.rugby. World Rugby. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
In addition to the new logo, Rugby World Cup has also updated its host naming convention to now include Women's and Men's. The decision aims to promote unity across the tournament and provide clarity and consistency for fans. As the pinnacle of both the men's and women's 15s game, Rugby World Cup's progressive approach to naming gives both genders equal billing, in line with World Rugby's commitment to equality and inclusivity in the sport.
- ^ "Men's RWC 2027 Team Base EOI". worldrugby.app.box.com. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ "England among 12 teams to automatically qualify for 2027 Rugby World Cup". Ruck. 14 October 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Qualification process confirmed for expanded Men's Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia". rugbyworldcup.com. Rugby World Cup. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.