World Rugby has announced a reimagination of the qualification process for the men’s Rugby World Cup Australia 2027, the first event to feature 24 nations.
The world body in their release of the news on Wednesday, said that “with the core principle of qualifying on merit and simplifying the process for fans and teams, the new process opens new avenues for more teams to reach the pinnacle of the sport, raising global standards along the way”.
The 24 teams will reflect the governing body’s global growth mission, according to the release. There will be 12 spots available from regional competitions to be played in 2025, and in the Final Qualification Tournament in November next year the last team of the additional 12 to be added will qualify.
For the first time, all six World Rugby Regional Associations will have one minimum direct qualifying spot from the 12 spots available from regional competitions to be played in 2025 and that all teams will be qualified before the draw for the tournament takes place.
The other 12 are France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, champions South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan – having qualified directly by finishing top three in their pool at France 2023.
■ The redefined process follows extensive consultation with World Rugby’s six Regional Associations and is underpinned by the World Rugby Council decision in October 2023 to expand the tournament from 20 to 24 teams, reflecting the sport’s mission to supercharge global growth.
Consideration is also being given to linking the qualification process to determining the participating teams for the debut of the Nations Championship Division 2 in 2026. This would mean an unprecedented opportunity for all qualified teams to access a high level of competition to prepare for rugby’s showcase event.
In each region, teams will qualify as follow:
- Europe (4) – Rugby Europe Championship 2025 top four teams
- Africa (1) – Rugby Africa Cup 2025 champions
- Asia (1) – Asia Rugby Men’s Championship 2025 champions
- South America (1) – Sudamerica Rugby Championship 2025 champions
- Pacific (3) – Pacific Nations Cup 2025 top three teams (not counting Fiji and Japan, already qualified)
- South America / Pacific Play-off (1) – Sudamerica Rugby Championship 2025 runners up against Pacific Nations Cup’s bottom team (excluding qualified teams)
- Final Qualification Tournament (1)
The Final Qualification Tournament will comprise one pool of four teams, playing in round-robin format with the winner on competition points after playing all other teams qualifying for Australia 2027. The four teams will be from:
- Sudamerica Rugby Championship 2025 third
- South America / Pacific Play-off loser
- Rugby Europe Championship 2025 fifth
- Africa / Asia Play-off winner (Rugby Africa Championship 2025 runner-up v Asia Rugby Championship runner-up)
With all qualification set to be concluded by the end of 2025, a first for Men’s Rugby World Cups, all teams will be known before the Rugby World Cup 2027 Draw takes place ahead of the Men’s Six Nations 2026.
■ The new format will feature six pools of four teams, with a “round of 16” added prior to the quarterfinals. This will enable the tournament window to be reduced from seven to six weeks, while promoting a rhythm that builds momentum across the pool phase and respects the same minimum number of rest days between matches as at France 2023.
“It is our desire for the process to qualify teams into the first iteration of the Nations Championship Division 2, which begins in 2026. This has the major advantage of ensuring that all teams will have strong, high-level competition and preparation ahead of Rugby World Cup 2027, raising standards globally.”
