Overview

• The 2027 tournament runs from October 1 to November 13 across seven Australian cities, opening in Perth and concluding with the final in Sydney.
• The first 24‑team edition will use six groups of four, with the top two in each pool plus the four best third‑placed teams advancing to a new round of 16.
• The December 3 draw in Australia will include all qualified nations and use four pots of six based on post‑November World Rugby rankings, with guaranteed representation from all six regions.
• Twenty‑three teams are already in the field, most recently Chile, and the final berth will be decided in Dubai from November 8–18 among Samoa, Belgium, Namibia and a South American team emerging from a Brazil–Paraguay repechage.
• Teams’ November results will set pot placement and shape their potential paths through the group stage and knockout rounds.