Rugby World Cup 2027 Guide

The Autumn International rugby matches will give way to something altogether bigger in 2027, when the Rugby World Cup takes place down under in Australia.

England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will join 20 other nations as they compete for the ultimate prize in rugby – the Webb Ellis Cup – which was last won by the Springboks in 2023.

The opening match of Rugby World Cup 2027 gets underway in Perth on Friday 1st October. The final will take place six weeks later in Sydney on Saturday 13th November.

Rugby World Cup 2027 Pools

The six pools have been drawn, but the match schedule will not be known until Tuesday 3rd February 2026.

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

Rugby World Cup 2027 Venues

The opening match will take place at Perth Stadium, while the final will be staged at Stadium Australia in Sydney. The host cities and probable venues are as follows:

Adelaide: Adelaide Oval

Brisbane: Lang Park (The Cauldron)

Melbourne: TBC

Newcastle: Newcastle International Sports Centre

Perth: Perth Stadium

Sydney: Stadium Australia (Olympic Stadium)

Townsville: North Queensland Stadium

See also the official Rugby World Cup website.