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Emerging nations boosted by new Rugby World Cup qualification process
By Jon Newcombe
World Rugby has confirmed the new qualification process for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 that will increase preparation time and open up more opportunities for teams aspiring to be involved in the game’s marquee event.
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By the time the draw is held on the eve of the Six Nations in January 2026, all 24 participants in the expanded tournament will be known, with 12 qualifiers joining the 12 teams who confirmed their place in Australia at last year’s event.
To date, France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, champions South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan have all made it through after finishing in the top three of their respective pools at France 2023.
RWC 2023 was the first to feature three South American teams in Argentina, Uruguay and Rugby World Cup debutants Chile, and the region will now have its own direct qualifier spot rather than competing with USA and Canada for what used to be called Americas 1 and 2.
The same applies to Asia, where up until now, Japan stand in isolation as the region’s only representative. However, that will change at Australia 2027 as the winners of the Asia Rugby Championship in 2025 will now qualify directly to the tournament, paving the way for the likes of Korea or Hong Kong China to rub shoulders with the game’s elite.
As usual, the Rugby Africa Cup winners will qualify. Since 1999, Namibia have flown the flag for the region alongside South Africa, but Zimbabwe will be hankering after a return having been present in 1987 and 1991. Ivory Coast played in the 1995 tournament, while Kenya, who could be a contender, have yet to feature.
For the first time in Rugby World Cup history there wasn’t any North American representation at France 2023, but that cannot happen next time around as the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup will double up as the qualification tournament.
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With Fiji and Japan already qualified that leaves Samoa, Tonga, USA and Canada competing for the three designated Pacific places. The Pacific Nations Cup 2025’s bottom-ranked team will compete with the Sudamerica Rugby Championship 2025 runners-up for the Play-Off place.
Europe has four automatic places this time around, and with only results from the Rugby Europe Championship 2025 counting towards qualification rather than the customary two-year cycle, reaching the semi-finals will be enough to make it to Australia.
Perennial champions Georgia, RWC 2023 surprise package Portugal and Romania flew the flag for the Rugby Europe Championship in 2023 and Spain will be favourites to join them, having been absent from the Rugby World Cup since 1999.
However, the opportunity to make it to the Rugby World Cup won’t have been lost on the likes of Belgium, who nearly qualified for the semi-finals of this year’s Rugby Europe Championship after upsetting Portugal in their first game.
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Germany came close to making their Rugby World Cup bow in 2019, only to miss out to Canada in a fiercely competitive repechage, while newly-promoted Rugby Europe Trophy winners Switzerland now also have a chance of giving the game in their country a massive shot in the arm.
Having undergone its first expansion since the tournament went from 16 teams to 20 in 1999, Rugby World Cup 2027 will have a new format.
RWC 2027 will feature six pools of four teams, with a round of 16 added before the quarter-finals. This will reduce the tournament window from seven to six weeks.
Consideration is also being given to using the qualification process to determine which teams will participate in the inaugural Nations Championship Division 2 in 2026.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “This qualification process is on the side of growth and sustainability for the game as a whole. 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.
“Providing certainty to the unions in pursuit of the Australian dream will help teams fine tune their preparations and provide fans with an exciting road to Rugby World Cup 2027 next year where all places will be up for grabs.”
“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.”