Rugby World Cup 2027: group stage draw on 03/12/2025 (24 teams, 52 matches)

The draw for the group stage of the Men's Rugby World Cup 2027 will be made on 03/12/2025, announced World Rugby on 01/10/2025, two years to the day before the launch of the 11^th edition of the competition, which will take place in Australia from 01/10 to 13/11/2027.

The 2027 World Cup will be the first to bring together 24 teams, compared with 20 since the 1999 tournament (16 nations in 1987, 1991 and 1995). 23 teams have already qualified and the 24^th will be decided at the final qualifying tournament, which will bring together four nations in Dubai (UAE) from 08 to 18/11/2025. This is the first time that all the participating teams will be known at the time of the draw, according to World Rugby.

The international body's men's world ranking at the end of the November internationals (Quilter Nations Series) will be used to make up the four pots for the draw. The top six nations will appear in the first pot (as of 29/09/2025, these are, in order, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand, France, England and Argentina).

The new format introduces an additional knockout phase with the…