Rugby World Cup 2027 Draw: Boks On Collision Course With All Blacks

The 2027 edition of the global showpiece Down Under will be the biggest ever, with 24 teams set to battle out for the Webb Ellis Cup.

Australia will get things underway in the opening game at Perth Stadium on 1 October 2027, kick-starting a new era for the Rugby World Cup.

The 12 teams that finished in the top three of their pools at Rugby World Cup 2023 automatically qualified for Rugby World Cup 2027. Those teams are: France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan.

The 12 remaining places were reserved for teams that qualified through various regional tournaments, including this year’s Rugby Europe Championship and Rugby Africa Cup. These teams are: Georgia, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Tonga, Canada, United States, Uruguay, Chile, Samoa, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong China.

The draw took place in Sydney on Wednesday and saw the No. 1-ranked Springboks grouped into Pool B along with Italy, Georgia and Romania. The All Blacks, meanwhile, were grouped in Pool A with hosts Australia, Chile and newcomers Hong Kong China.

That means that if both South Africa and New Zealand top their pools and win their Round of 16 clashes as expected, they’ll meet in one of the quarter-finals.

Pools:

Pool A: New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong China.

Pool B: South Africa, Italy, Georgia, Romania.

Pool C: Argentina, Fiji, Spain, Japan.

Pool D: Ireland, Scotland, Uruguay, Portugal.

Pool E: France, Japan, USA, Samoa.

Pool F: Wales, Tonga, Zimbabwe.

How did the draw work?

Teams were split into four bands of six, based on world rankings. Band 1 was South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, France and Argentina.

These six will be in separate pools in the first round. Joining them in each pool are one team each from bands 2-4, which were drawn randomly. The lowest-ranked teams are in band 4.

The only exception was that Australia already knew they were in Pool A as they are host nation.

The bands were:

Band 1: South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, France, Argentina

Band 2: Australia, Fiji, Scotland, Italy, Wales, Japan

Band 3: Georgia, Uruguay, Spain, United States, Chile, Tonga

Band 4: Samoa, Portugal, Romania, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Canada

What is the format?

In previous tournaments going back to Rugby World Cup 2003, 20 teams were divided into four pools of five teams. The top two teams from each pool would then progress to the quarter-finals, which was the first round of the knockouts.

At Australia 2027, there will be 24 teams, and therefore the tournament requires a new format and one big change: a Round of 16 as the first knockout game.

There will now be six pools with four teams in each. The top two teams from each pool will progress to the Round of 16, while the four best third-place teams will also progress.

Those four teams will be determined by competition points firstly, and if that doesn’t separate the sides then points’ difference and try difference will be the next factors used respectively to determine which teams make it out of the pool stage.

With an extra round of knockouts, does that mean more games?

For the fans, yes! Instead of 48 matches like there were at the last Rugby World Cup, there will now be 52 games. But crucially, it does not equate to more games for the players. With player welfare at the forefront of decisions made around the tournament’s structure, World Rugby has adopted this format to ensure maximum jeopardy, drama and excitement for the teams as well as spectators, while not compromising on the health of those who play the game. Five minimum rest days will be observed between matches in Australia.

While there are more knockout matches, the change from five teams in each pool to four has meant one fewer match for each team in the pool stage. For example, when South Africa won Rugby World Cup 2023, they played seven games: four games in the pool stage and a quarter-final, a semi-final and a final. If they were to reach the final of Rugby World Cup 2027, they would still only play seven games: three games in the pool stage, then Round of 16, a quarter-final, a semi-final and a final.

But fans still get four extra matches, and as an added bonus, having an even number of teams in each pool means no team has to sit out a round while the others play each other. So, despite adding four extra teams, the pool stage is now, in fact, shorter. While Rugby World Cup 2023 lasted 50 days in total, Rugby World Cup 2027 will take place over 43 days (6 weeks). It will, therefore, be a more condensed and exciting tournament, without adding to the players’ workload.

How will the Round of 16 work?

In previous formats, the quarter-finalists would just be the winners of each pool against the runners-up of another pool. With six pools feeding 16 spots in the first round of the knockouts, that requires some changes.

The teams that finish top of Pool A, B, C and D will face a third-place team in the Round of 16, while the teams that finish top of Pool E and F will face teams that finished second in their pool. Likewise, some teams that finished second in their pool may face the winner of another pool, while some will face the runners-up.

While on the surface that may seem slightly unfair, that imbalance is addressed in the next round. Let’s take Pool A and Pool E as an example. The team that wins Pool A will face a third-place team in the Round of 16, but in the quarter-finals could potentially meet the winner of Pool B if that team wins their Round of 16 match.

On the other hand, the team that wins Pool E will face a runner-up rather than a third-place team in the Round of 16, but in the quarter-finals would face the winner of a quarter-final between two other runners-up.

So while the winner of Pool A would face a third-ranked team and then potentially a top-ranked team in their games, the winner of Pool E would face second-ranked teams in both games.

There’s therefore no advantage or disadvantage to be gained or lost regardless of your team’s raking at the end of the pool stage, it will all even out in the end.