2029 Women's Rugby World Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host nation | Australia |
| Dates | – |
| No. of nations | 16 |
← 2025 2033 → | |
The 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup will be the eleventh edition of the Women's Rugby World Cup. The tournament is due to be held in Australia, two years after the men's counterpart, making Australia the first country to host both the men's and women's Rugby World Cup in successive editions.[1][2][3][4] It will be the first Women's Rugby World Cup held in Australia, and the second in the southern hemisphere following the 2022 edition in New Zealand.[1]
The defending champions are England, who beat Canada 33–13 in the 2025 final at Twickenham Stadium.[5]
Host selection
On 13 August 2020, World Rugby announced a joint selection process for the next two men's and women's Rugby World Cups.[6] Australia was named preferred candidate for the 2029 tournament in April 2022.[7] The United States had expressed interest in hosting the 2029 women's tournament but redirected its focus to 2033.[7]
On 12 May 2022, the World Rugby Council unanimously confirmed Australia as host of both the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup and the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup at its annual meeting in Dublin.[1][8] The dual award made Australia the first country in history to host consecutive Rugby World Cups.[1]
Teams
Qualifying
Sixteen teams will compete in the tournament. World Rugby confirmed the qualification pathway in September 2025 alongside the launch of the WXV Global Series, a new two-tier international fixture series running from 2026 to 2028 that will serve as the central pathway to the tournament.[9][10] Five teams qualified automatically: Australia as tournament hosts, and Canada, France, England, and New Zealand as the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup semi-finalists.[9] Ten of the remaining eleven places will be filled in 2027, eight through regional competition results and two through world rankings at the end of the 2027 competition window. The final birth will be decided at the 2028 WXV Global Series centrally hosted competition for teams ranked 13–18 (WXV Emerging Nations), which will function as a Final Qualification Tournament.[9]
| Region | Team | Qualification method |
Previous apps |
Previous best result | World Rugby Ranking1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | |||||
| Asia | |||||
| Europe | England | Top 4 at 2025 RWC | 10 | Champions (1994, 2014, 2025) | |
| France | Top 4 at 2025 RWC | 10 | Third place (seven times) | ||
| North America | Canada | Top 4 at 2025 RWC | 10 | Runners-up (2014, 2025) | |
| Oceania | Australia | Hosts | 8 | Third place (2010) | |
| New Zealand | Top 4 at 2025 RWC | 9 | Champions (six times) | ||
| South America |
Notes
- ^1 – Post warm-up matches
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Game on! Australia confirmed as host of Rugby World Cup 2027 and 2029". Rugby Australia. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Australia set to host Rugby World Cup 2027 and 2029". Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. 17 May 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ Smale, Simon (12 May 2022). "Australia to host 2027 men's and 2029 women's Rugby World Cups". ABC News Australia. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Australia confirmed as host of men's 2027 and women's 2029 Rugby World Cups". The Guardian. 12 May 2022. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Canada 13-33 England: Red Roses win Women's Rugby World Cup". BBC Sport. 27 September 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "World Rugby announces joint men's and women's Rugby World Cup host selection process". World Rugby. 13 August 2020. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ a b Iveson, Ali (4 April 2022). "Australia named preferred host for women's 2029 Rugby World Cup". Inside the Games. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Rugby World Cup host locations confirmed through to 2033". Rugby World Cup. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "World Rugby and 18 national unions launch landmark WXV Global Series". World Rugby. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Thomas first1=Martyn (18 September 2025). "WXV Global Series launched on eve of RWC 2025 semi-finals". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
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