Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027: All you need to know including pools, fixtures and more

Everything you need to know about the new-look 24-team tournament taking place in Australia next year. The Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 will kick-off in Australia in October next year. The draw took place in December 2025 and reignited a couple of old feuds in the pool stages, with New Zealand due to face Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup opponents Australia, and England set to meet Six Nations rivals Wales. South Africa have won the last two Rugby World Cups, and to find a team other than the Springboks or the All Blacks lifting the trophy you have to go all the way back to England’s famous victory (also in Australia) in 2003. Those three sides – along with Six Nations champions France – are likely to be among the favourites down under. The 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup is set to be the biggest in history, featuring 24 qualifying teams for the very first time. There’ll be 52 matches in total – including the RWC’s first ever round of 16 – with the eventual winners playing seven matches on their way to the title. This article will tell you everything you need to know about the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027, including pools, fixtures, an explainer of the new format, and details of the championship’s previous winners. Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027: At a glance – Dates: October 1 – November 13 2027 – Participating teams: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, England, Fiji, France, Georgia, Hong Kong China, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Tonga, Uruguay, USA, Wales, Zimbabwe – UK TV coverage: TBC The new Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 format The previous seven World Cups have featured 20 teams but the 2027 tournament (the 11th edition of the competition) has expanded the field to include 24. That also requires a change of format. Whereas the old 20-team system featured four pools of five teams, the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 will have six pools of four teams – just like football’s European Championship. In the new-look competition, 16 teams will make it through the pool stages, rather than the eight who survived in the original format. This necessitates an additional round of 16. The route to lifting the William Webb Ellis Cup will now look like this: - 3 pool matches - Round of 16 match - Quarter-final - Semi-final - Final Although there’s a whole extra round of matches, the two teams that reach the final will still feature in seven matches. This is because each team will play one game fewer in the pool stages. But while the total number of matches in the tournament increases from 48 to 52, the duration of the tournament will actually decrease. This is because there’s no longer any need for teams to have a “fallow” week during the pool stages, an inevitable consequence of five-team pools. So, even with the mandatory minimum of five rest days between games, this World Cup will be a whole week shorter than its predecessor at just 43 days. What do teams need to do to qualify for the round of 16? This change makes the competition less elegant than the old format, in which the top two teams from each pool made it through to the knockouts. Although the pool winners and runners-up will still qualify for the round of 16 automatically, there’s now room for four more places in the knockout stages. These will be filled by the four best third-placed teams, determined by (in this order) competition points, points difference and try difference. This is a rather less efficient way of eliminating teams, seeing as 36 games will be played in order to send just eight teams home (33 per cent of the field), compared to the 40 matches that removed 12 sides (60 per cent of the field) in the old days. This also means less pool game jeopardy for the leading teams, which may make the early stages of the competition less exciting. Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027: The Pools This is how the 24 teams in the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup will line up following the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 draw in December. Pool A - New Zealand - Australia - Chile - Hong Kong China Pool B - South Africa - Italy - Georgia - Romania Pool C - Argentina - Fiji - Spain - Canada Pool D - Ireland - Scotland - Uruguay - Portugal Pool E - France - Japan - USA - Samoa Pool F - England - Wales - Tonga - Zimbabwe Read more: Do England have the easiest route to the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 final? Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027: Fixtures Pool matches Friday 1 October - Australia v Hong Kong China Perth Stadium, Perth Kick-off: 11.45am BST/6.45pm AEDT Saturday 2 October - Wales v Zimbabwe Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Kick-off: 3.45am BST/12.15pm AEDT - New Zealand v Chile Perth Stadium, Perth Kick-off: 6.15am BST/1.15pm AEDT - France v USA Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Kick-off: 8.45am BST/5.45pm AEDT - England v Tonga Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off: 11.15am BST/8.15pm AEDT Sunday 3 October - Japan v Samoa Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle Kick-off: 2.15am BST/12.15pm AEDT - South Africa v Italy Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Kick-off: 4.45am BST/2.15pm AEDT - Scotland v Uruguay Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Kick-off: 7.15am BST/5.15pm AEDT - Georgia v Romania North Queensland Stadium, Townsville Kick-off: 11.15am BST/20.15pm AEDT Monday 4 October - Fiji v Spain Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle Kick-off: 4.15am BST/2.15pm AEDT - Ireland v Portugal Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Kick-off: 7.15am BST/5.15pm AEDT - Argentina v Canada Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off:9.45am BST/6.45pm AEDT Friday 8 October - Wales v Tonga Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Kick-off: 8.15am BST/6.15pm AEDT - England v Zimbabwe Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Kick-off: 10.45am BST/8.15pm AEDT Saturday 9 October - USA v Samoa Perth Stadium, Perth Kick-off: 5.15am BST/12.15pm AEDT - New Zealand v Australia Stadium Australia, Sydney Kick-off: 7.10am BST/5.10pm AEDT - France v Japan Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off: 9.45am BST/6.45pm AEDT - Chile v Hong Kong China North Queensland Stadium, Townsville Kick-off:11.15am BST/ 8.15pm AEDT Sunday 10 October - Fiji v Canada Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Kick-off: 2.45am BST/12.15pm AEDT - Argentina v Spain Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Kick-off: 5.15am BST/3.15pm AEDT - South Africa v Georgia Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off:7.45am BST/4.45pm AEDT - Ireland v Scotland Perth Stadium, Perth Kick-off: 10.45am BST/5.45pm AEDT Monday 11 October - Uruguay v Portugal Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle Kick-off: 7.15am BST/5.15pm AEDT - Italy v Romania Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Kick-off:9.45pm BST/7.45pm AEDT Friday 15 October - New Zealand v Hong Kong China Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Kick-off: 7.15am BST/5.15pm AEDT - Japan v USA Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Kick-off: 10.30am BST/8pm AEDT - Tonga v Zimbabwe North Queensland Stadium, Townsville Kick-off: 11.15am BST/8.15pm AEDT Saturday 16 October - Argentina v Fiji Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Kick-off: 3.45am BST/1.15pm AEDT - Australia v Chile Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off: 6.10am BST/3.10pm AEDT - England v Wales Stadium Australia, Sydney Kick-off: 9.45am BST/7.45pm AEDT - Spain v Canada North Queensland Stadium, Townsville Kick-off: 11.15am BST/8.15pm AEDT Sunday 17 October - Italy v Georgia Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle Kick-off: 2.15am BST/12.15pm AEDT - Ireland v Uruguay Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Kick-off: 4.45am BST/ 2.45pm AEDT - Scotland v Portugal Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off: 7.15am BST /4.15pm AEDT - France v Samoa Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Kick-off: 9.45am BST/7.45pm AEDT - South Africa v Romania Perth Stadium, Perth Kick-off: 12.15pm BST/7.15am AEDT Read more: How Henry Slade got over his World Cup axing Round of 16 Saturday 23 October - Pool C runner-up v Pool F runner-up Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Kick-off: 4.15am BST/2.15pm AEDT - Pool A winner v Pool C/E/F best third Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off: 6.45am BST/3.45pm AEDT - Pool E winner v Pool D runner-up Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Kick-off: 9.15am BST/7.15pm AEDT - Pool B winner v Pool D/E/F best third Perth Stadium, Perth Kick-off: 11.45am BST/6.45pm AEDT Sunday 24 October - Pool C winner v Pool A/E/F best third Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Kick-off: 4.15am BST/2.15pm AEDT - Pool D winner v Pool B/E/F best third Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Kick-off: 6.45am BST/3.45pm AEDT - Pool A runner-up v Pool E runner-up Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off: 9.15am BST/7.15pm AEDT - Pool F winner v Pool B runner-up Perth Stadium, Perth Kick-off: 11.45am BST/6.45pm AEDT Quarter-finals Saturday 31 October - Winner R16 (2) v Winner R16 (4) Stadium Australia, Sydney Kick-off: 6.45am BST/3.45pm AEDT - Winner R16 (1) v Winner R16 (3) Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off: 9.45am BST/6.45pm AEDT Sunday 1 November - Winner R16 (5) v Winner R16 (6) Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Kick-off: 6am BST/4pm AEDT - Winner R16 (7) v Winner R16 (8) Stadium Australia, Sydney Kick-off: 9am BST/8pm AEDT Semi-finals Friday 5 November - Winner QF1 v Winner QF2 Stadium Australia, Sydney Kick-off: 9am BST/8pm AEDT Saturday 6 November - Winner QF3 v Winner QF4 Stadium Australia, Sydney Kick-off: 9am BST/8pm AEDT Bronze final Friday 12 November - Runner-up SF1 v Runner-up SF2 Stadium Australia, Sydney Kick-off: 8.45am BST/7.45pm AEDT Final Saturday 13 November - Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 Stadium Australia, Sydney Kick-off: 9am BST/8pm AEDT Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027: All 24 squads for 2027 tournament This will be updated when the squads are announced. Men’s Rugby World Cup: Previous winners Here are all of the Men’s Rugby World Cup winners to date 1987 – New Zealand 1991 – Australia 1995 – South Africa 1999 – Australia 2003 – England 2007 – South Africa 2011 – New Zealand 2015 – New Zealand 2019 – South Africa 2023 – South Africa Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.