The draw for the 2027 World Cup, scheduled in Australia, will take place in January 2026, the organizing body announced on Tuesday.
“I understand the frustration around the timing of the draw for this World Cup. But remember, we were in the middle of a global pandemic: no one was playing rugby at the time. We had to use the existing rankings to be able to plan ahead of this great competition,” explained Alan Gilpin, Managing Director of World Rugby.
The draw for the 2023 edition took place in December 2020, with the 2019 World Rugby rankings. Result, France, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa, the four best teams at the time of the World Cup kick-off in France had all found themselves on the same side of the table.
World Rugby had already admitted its error and promised to schedule the draw for a date closer to the start of the competition.
The 2027 World Cup is scheduled in Australia from October 1 to November 13 with twenty-four teams divided into six groups of four.
“For the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027, we estimated that it would be too late to wait until the end of international matches in November 2026. This would jeopardize ticket sales and funding for the tournament. Fans are reportedly very frustrated that they cannot plan with certainty with less than a year to go before the World Cup. It would be a real challenge, especially with the expansion to twenty-four teams, to plan all that,” continued Gilpin.
