Twenty-four countries will contest the 2027 Rugby World Cup as part of an expanded format announced by World Rugby.
The tournament, which will be staged in Australia, will see six pools of four teams, increasing the headcount from 20 to 24, and the addition of a round of 16 before the quarter-final stage.
World Rugby said the expansion is part of efforts to “supercharge global growth” of the game.
Twelve countries, including Ireland, have already qualified for the 2027 tournament having finished in the top three in their pools at the 2023 World Cup.
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The other nations to directly qualify are France, Italy, Scotland, Wales, England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Japan.
World Rugby said the qualification process for the remaining 12 spots will be “a blend of existing regional competitions, a pathway through the new Pacific Nations Cup, a cross-continental play-off and one final qualification tournament”.
Under the new process, each of World Rugby’s six regional associations (Europe, Africa, South America, North America, Asia and Oceania) will have at least one direct qualifying spot.
In Europe, four teams will qualify via the 2025 Rugby Europe Championship, while the top-three finishers in the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup, excluding Fiji and Japan, will secure passage to the World Cup.
The 2025 champions of the Rugby Africa Cup, the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship and the Sudamerica Rugby Championship will also qualify, in addition to the winner of the South America/Pacific play-off, which will pit the Sudamerica Rugby Championship runners-up against the bottom non-qualified team from the Pacific Nations Cup.
The last remaining place in the 2027 World Cup will go to the winner of the final qualification tournament, a four-team round-robin competition to be contested by non-qualified countries from the regional competitions and play-offs.
The qualification process is to be completed by the end of 2025, with the pool draws due to be carried out before the 2026 Six Nations.
“This qualification process is on the side of growth and sustainability for the game as a whole,” World Rugby chair Bill Beaumont said.
“We are fully committed to respecting the fundamental principle of expanded opportunity, and the blend of existing regional competitions, new cross-region competitions and a final qualification process reflects that ambition as well as the desire to deliver teams on merit.”
