This will be the qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia

ByDavid Mitchell
This will be the qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia

The World Cup to be held in Australia in 2027 tThe main novelty will be that for the first time in history there will be 24 participating teams. In this way, four nations are added to the number that was present at France 2023.

The tournament will be played from October 1 to November 13, 2027 and Another important novelty has to do with the classification process.

The first thing to mark is that The qualifying system is maintained from one World Cup to another. For this reason, There are already 12 teams qualified for 2027 for having finished in the first three places in the group zone at RWC 2023. The nations that achieved this are: France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, champion South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan.

For this reason, there are another 12 vacant places that will be distributed with 4 places for Europe, 3 for the Pacific, plus an extra one that will come from the playoff between the Pacific and South America, one for each of Africa, Asia, South America, and the last one will come from the Final Qualification Tournament, which brings together four teams that have not qualified in previous competitions.

All six regions have at least one direct qualifying place; The new process features a combination of existing regional competitions, a path through the new Pacific Nations Cup, a cross-continental play-off and a Final Qualifying Tournament. In each region it will be classified as follows:

  • Europe (4) – the first four teams of the Rugby Europe Championship 2025

  • Africa (1) – the Rugby Africa Cup 2025 champion

  • Asia (1) – the champion of the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship 2025

  • South America (1) – the champion of the 2025 South American Rugby Championship

  • Pacific (3) – the first three teams of the Pacific Nations Cup 2025 (except Fiji and Japan, already qualified)

  • South America/Pacific play-off (1) – second of the 2025 South American Rugby Championship and the last of the Pacific Nations Cup

  • Final Qualification Tournament (1)

The TFinal Classification tournament will have four teams facing each otherwith the winner of the tournament in the sum of points at the end of the tournament qualifying for Australia 2027. The four teams will emerge from:

  • Third place in the 2025 South American Rugby Championship

  • South America/Pacific play-off loser

  • Fifth of the Rugby Europe Championship 2025

  • Africa/Asia play-off winner (Rugby Africa Championship 2025 runner-up vs Asia Rugby Championship runner-up)

The qualifying process will conclude at the end of 2025, and for the first time for a men’s Rugby World Cup all teams will be known before the draw take place before the 2026 men’s Six Nations.

Fountain: world rugby.

David Mitchell
David Mitchell

As a passionate sports journalist with over a decade of experience, I strive to uncover the heart and soul behind every game. Supported by a dedicated team of fellow enthusiasts and storytellers, I am committed to delivering insightful and engaging content that connects fans worldwide. Together, we celebrate the victories, challenges, and unifying spirit of sports through every article we craft.