The draw for next year's Rugby World Cup will be made in Sydney, Australia, on May 20th.
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said matches will be spread across Australia and not concentrated in the Sydney and Brisbane rugby heartlands.
Forty-eight games will be played over the 45-day tournament. 20 countries will compete. There are four pools of five teams each. The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the quarter-finals.
The complete draw will not be known until the end of the year when the final qualifying matches have been played.
Games will be played in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, as well as a number of regional cities. Teams will not be based in one city.
Most matches will be played at night for player comfort and to boost television figures.