Rugby World Cup expansion and new Nations Championship announced by World Rugby

The 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia will feature 24 teams, compared to the 20 taking part in the current edition in France; a new national championship with twelve teams will start in 2026, with a second division of twelve teams and promotion and relegation from 2030

World Rugby has announced an increase in the number of teams competing in the Rugby World Cup and a new Nations Cup.

The Men’s World Cup, which concludes this weekend in France, will expand from 20 participating teams to 24 from the next edition in Australia in 2027.

A new biennial international nations championship will commence from 2026, involving the twelve leading sides in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, along with a second division of twelve teams.

From 2030 there will be promotion and relegation between the two divisions.

“It is fitting that we conclude Rugby World Cup 2023, the greatest celebration of togetherness in sport, with the greatest achievement of togetherness in sport,” World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said of the announcement, which also marks changes for the international women’s sports.

“Agreement on the global men’s and women’s calendars and their content is the most significant development in the sport since the game turned professional – a historic moment for our sport that sets us up collectively for success.”

The Six Nations associations of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy, plus SANZAAR nations South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina will all be part of the new top division of the Nations Championship. It is played during the international windows of July and November.

The remaining two places in the first division will be determined by a process led by SANZAAR, while the planned second division will be led by World Rugby. The tournament is intended to provide unions with certainty about fixtures outside existing international competitions.

World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont heralded a new era for the international game

Further details on the format of the expanded 24-team World Cup will be confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, with World Rugby keen to open the tournament to more emerging nations.

The most significant change for the women’s game, meanwhile, is the introduction of the first dedicated international release windows from 2026 as part of a global Test match calendar.

“We now look forward to an exciting new era for our sport starting in 2026,” said Beaumont.

“An era that will bring security and opportunity for all. An era that will support the many, not a few, and an era that will boost the development of the sport beyond its traditional and often self-imposed boundaries.

“I would like to thank all my colleagues for their spirit of cooperation. Today we achieved something special.”