World Rugby have unveiled the all new qualification process for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup. The tournament has been expanded to 24 teams, and will be the biggest Rugby World Cup ever when the competition heads to Australia. 12 teams have already qualified and will be heading ‘down under’ in three years time, with the qualification roadmap laid out for the remaining 12 teams.
The 12 teams that have already booked their place for Australia, qualified by finishing in the top three places in their respective pools, back at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The run down of the 12 qualified teams is as follows: France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan.
The remaining 12 teams qualify through their regions, with teams joining the tournament from Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Pacific Islands. All six regions having at least one direct qualifying spot, and the new qualification process is broken down below:
Europe (4) – Rugby Europe Championship 2025 – top four teams qualify
(Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Belguim and Poland)
Africa (1) – Rugby Africa Cup 2025 – Champions qualify
(Zimbabwe, Algeria, Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso)
Asia (1) – Asia Rugby Men’s Championship 2025 – Champions qualify
(Hong Kong, UAE, Malaysia and South Korea)
South America (1) – Sudamerica Rugby Championship 2025 – Champions qualify
(Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Paraguay*)
Pacific (3) – Pacific Nations Cup 2025 – top three teams qualify (minus Fiji and Japan already qualified)
(Canada, United States, Tonga, Samoa)
South America / Pacific Play-off (1) – Sudamerica Rugby Championship 2025 runners up vs Pacific Nations Cup’s bottom team (excluding qualified teams)
Final Qualification Tournament (1)
The Final Qualification Tournament will comprise one pool of four teams, playing in round-robin format, with the winner decided on competition points and will qualify for Australia 2027. The four teams will be from:
Sudamerica Rugby Championship 2025 third place team
South America / Pacific Play-off losing team
Rugby Europe Championship 2025 fifth place team
Africa / Asia Play-off winner (Rugby Africa Championship 2025 runner-up v Asia Rugby Championship runner-up)
With all qualification set to be concluded by the end of 2025, a first for Men’s Rugby World Cups, all qualified teams will be known before the Rugby World Cup 2027 Draw, which takes place ahead of the 2026 Guinness Six Nations.
*2025 Sudamerica Championship teams as yet unconfirmed, article shows 2024 teams.
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 as well as the desire to deliver teams on merit.
“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.”