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WXV 2024 announcement: Canada to host the top level for the first time
WXV will return in September 2024, hosted by Canada, South Africa, and Dubai.
The three levels of the tournament will be played on three consecutive weekends in September and October with six places for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025 on the line.
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Following record crowds at the World Rugby Pacific Four Series in 2023 and the women’s national team excelling to earn a place in the top four of the World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini, hosting WXV 1 in 2024 will increase exposure for the sport in North America. Canada additionally finished second behind England in last year’s WXV 1.
Building on last year’s competition, WXV 2 will return to South Africa, and WXV 3 will take place in Dubai again.
WXV will continue to provide increased opportunities for international competition, something of paramount importance as the expanded 16-team Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025 approaches.
World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox said: “We are delighted to be working with Rugby Canada, the South African Rugby Union and Dubai to host WXV later this year. The tournament plays a fundamental role in helping us to grow women’s rugby and provides more opportunities for players, showcases the game to more fans and inspires more girls to play. Our hosts all share our ambition to take the tournament to the next level and further strengthen the development of the women’s game.
“It’s crucial that teams get sufficient preparation and game-time ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, and WXV is designed to help to provide this for players and coaches alike. I saw firsthand just how much the competitiveness grew across the tournament last year and I look forward to the same again.”
Dates for the tournament:
Round 1 – Friday, 27 – Sunday, 29 September
Round 2 – Friday, 4 – Sunday, 6 October
Round 3 – Friday, 11 – Sunday, 13 October
Qualification
The opportunity to qualify for this year’s WXV will begin in March through regional competitions, with 18 places up for grabs.
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WXV 1 will once again feature the top three teams from the Guinness Women’s Six Nations (which last year were England, France, and Wales), and the top three from the Pacific Four Series (which last year were New Zealand, Canada, and Australia).
WXV 2 will include the winner of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup (South Africa last year), Asia Women’s Championship winner (Japan last year), the Guinness Women’s Six Nations fourth and fifth (Scotland and Italy last year), the winner of the playoff between the Guinness Women’s Six Nations sixth place and the Rugby Europe Championship winner, and the fourth-placed team at the Pacific Four Series (the USA last year).
WXV 3 will be made up of the runner-up of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup (Kenya last year), the Asia Women’s Championship runner-up (Kazakhstan last year), the runner-up of the playoff between the Guinness Women’s Six Nations sixth place and the Rugby Europe Championship winner (Ireland and Spain both played in WXV 3 last year), the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship winner (Samoa last year, who played in WXV 2) and runner up (Fiji last year who played in WXV 3), and the winner of Colombia (last-placed team in WXV 3 last year) vs the Netherlands (top-ranked team from an alternative region).
The road to RWC 2025 and the significance of WXV
As a result of reaching the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup in 2022, New Zealand, England, Canada, and France have already qualified for RWC2025.
Six teams will then qualify as the winners or the next best-placed team behind those already qualified at the regional tournaments in 2024 (Asia Rugby Women’s Championship, Guinness Women’s Six Nations, Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship, Pacific Four Series, Rugby Africa Women’s Cup, and Sudamerica play-off).
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The remaining six places will be allocated to the highest-finishing teams in WXV who have not yet qualified through RWC 2021 and the regional tournaments outlined above.
WXV will break in 2025 for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, and a full review of the tournament will be undertaken with participating unions to ensure that, collectively, WXV continues to support high-performance and commercial goals on the road to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 in Australia and beyond.
WXV continues to be supported by Capgemini, Gallagher, Mastercard, Mitsubishi Electric, and ChildFund with World Rugby also injecting multi-million-pound investment on the road to RWC 2025.
The WXV match schedule, venues and ticketing information will be announced in the coming weeks.
More information, including all the latest WXV news, can be found here.
Comments on RugbyPass
What a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
2 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
40 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
40 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
2 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to comments