From 1 October to 13 November 2027, Australia hosts the 11th edition of the Rugby World Cup. The first tournament featuring 24 teams, 52 matches and 8 stadiums across 7 host cities. The opening match takes place in Perth, the final at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
The 2027 Rugby World Cup is a historic step for international rugby: for the first time, the competition expands to 24 teams, up from 20 in previous editions. This expansion, driven by World Rugby, is designed to offer more opportunities to emerging rugby nations (Hong Kong China, Zimbabwe, Chile) while maintaining an elite knockout phase thanks to a brand new Round of 16.
The format grows to 52 matches (vs 48 in 2023). Six pools of four teams in the pool stage; the top two from each pool plus the four best third-placed teams (16 teams in total) advance to the Round of 16. From there, quarter-finals, semi-finals, bronze final and the grand final.
Australia hosts the Rugby World Cup for the third time in its history, after co-hosting with New Zealand in 1987 (the very first edition) and hosting alone in 2003 (won by England). Seven cities host matches: Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle and Townsville. Eight stadiums in total โ Sydney hosts two: Stadium Australia (the final venue) and Sydney Football Stadium, rebuilt in 2022.
Opening match: Australia vs Hong Kong China โ Friday 1 October 2027 โ Perth Stadium
Round of 16: 23-24 October 2027
Quarter-finals: 30-31 October 2027 โ Brisbane Stadium & Stadium Australia
Semi-finals: 5 and 6 November 2027 โ Stadium Australia, Sydney
Bronze final: 12 November 2027 โ Stadium Australia, Sydney
Final: Saturday 13 November 2027 โ Stadium Australia, Sydney
The 24 teams are drawn into six pools of four (Pools A, B, C, D, E, F). In the pool stage, each team plays the other three teams in its pool once, meaning 3 matches per team in the preliminary phase. The classic rugby points system applies: 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 attacking bonus point (4+ tries), 1 losing bonus point (defeat by 7 or fewer points).
At the end of the pool stage, 16 teams qualify for the Round of 16: the top two from each pool (12 teams) plus the four best third-placed sides from a consolidated ranking. The last-16 ties pit these 16 teams against each other in a straight knockout.
The eight Round of 16 winners meet in the quarter-finals on 30-31 October, split between Brisbane Stadium (the two quarter-finals from the "top half" of the draw) and Stadium Australia, Sydney (the two from the "bottom half"). The semi-finals are played at Stadium Australia on 5 and 6 November, followed by the bronze final on 12 November and the grand final on Saturday 13 November 2027 โ all at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
For the first time, 24 teams take part in the Rugby World Cup. The twelve nations that finished in the top 3 of their pool at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France were automatically qualified. The other twelve places were filled via regional qualifying tournaments (Rugby Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania) and a final repechage tournament.
South Africa defend their title after a memorable win in the 2023 final at Saint-Denis (12-11 against New Zealand), targeting a fourth world title for the Springboks โ an outright record if they triumph again in 2027. England, the only northern-hemisphere side ever to lift the trophy (2003, in Australia), will be hoping to repeat history on Australian soil.
The tournament kicks off with the traditional opening match featuring the host nation. On Friday 1 October 2027 at Perth Stadium, Australia face Hong Kong China to officially launch the 11th Rugby World Cup. Perth Stadium, opened in 2018, has a capacity of 60,000 and is one of the most modern venues in the southern hemisphere.
The grand final is scheduled for Saturday 13 November 2027 at Stadium Australia in Sydney, the largest Australian stadium with 82,000 seats. Built for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, this iconic ground previously hosted the 2003 Rugby World Cup final (England v Australia, when Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal won England the trophy). In 2027, it will be the tournament's main venue: opening, semi-finals, bronze final and final will be staged there in part.
The 2027 World Cup is contested across eight stadiums spread across Australia โ from west (Perth) to east (Sydney, Newcastle), and from the tropical north (Townsville) to the temperate south (Adelaide, Melbourne).
The 52 matches of the 2027 Rugby World Cup โ 36 pool-stage matches + 16 knockout matches โ will be published progressively on this site as soon as they are confirmed by World Rugby. The pool-stage draw has set the composition of the six pools; the detailed schedule (dates and stadiums for each match) is announced in phases across 2026 and 2027.
Sign up via the form at the bottom of the page to be notified as soon as the detailed fixtures are published and the ticket sales open for each match.
The competition begins on Friday 1 October 2027 with an opening match between Australia and Hong Kong China at Perth Stadium. The final is scheduled for Saturday 13 November 2027 at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
For the first time, 24 teams are entered (up from 20 in 1999-2023). 12 nations qualified automatically thanks to their RWC 2023 finish, the other 12 came through the regional qualifying tournaments.
The tournament features 52 matches (vs 48 in 2023): 36 pool-stage matches (6 pools of 4 teams), then 16 knockout matches (Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, bronze final, final).
Seven cities host matches: Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle and Townsville. Eight stadiums in total, including two in Sydney (Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium).
South Africa are the defending champions. The Springboks won the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France by beating New Zealand 12-11 in the final. A win in 2027 would give them a fourth world title โ an outright record.
Official ticket sales for the 2027 Rugby World Cup are being rolled out in phases across 2026-2027 on the official rugbyworldcup.com website. Pre-sale phases (priority for loyal supporters) and then general public sales are announced progressively by World Rugby and the Rugby World Cup 2027 Australia organising committee.