On 3 December, the pools for the 2027 World Cup in Australia will be known. World Rugby have indeed decided to push back the draw, originally scheduled a few months earlier. It will therefore take place after the autumn tour, when the world rankings will be frozen. The game’s leading governing body is responding in particular to criticism of the draw for the last World Cup in France, judged to have been made too early. Another change: 24 teams will be spread across six pools of four, against 20 teams previously (and 16 for the first three editions in history).

For the first time, a round of 16 will be introduced, taking the number of knockout matches to 16 (against 8 previously), which will increase the intensity and the stakes from the very first knockout stages. In all, 52 matches will be played in seven Australian cities (Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Townsville, Newcastle and Melbourne). The World Cup will begin two years from today to the day, on 1 October 2027.

For now 23 teams have qualified: Argentina, Australia, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Wales, Tonga, Uruguay, Canada, Chile, Spain, Hong Kong China, and Zimbabwe. The winner of Samoa-Namibia will therefore be the last qualifier.

This new format has been designed to sustain interest throughout the tournament, by limiting its length to around six weeks and increasing the number of knockout matches.