Only three places remain at Rugby World Cup 2027. Three teams qualified this weekend to see twenty-one of the twenty-four slots claimed for Australia 2027. The remaining vacancies will be determined in matches over the coming weeks and months.
| THREE PLACES CLAIMED ON SATURDAY |
With time zones stretching Saturday to its limit, Saturday saw Tonga, Uruguay and Canada all qualifying for Rugby World Cup 2027. Tonga qualified by virtue of earlier results combined with Samoa’s loss against Fiji in Rotorua, New Zealand on Saturday.
Later on in the day, Uruguay played host to Chile and lost in Montevideo. Los Teros took a +12 advantage from game one in Santiago into game two which meant Uruguay qualified for Australia 2027 despite losing at home by three points.
Saturday concluded with the USA facing Japan in Sacramento, California. The Eagles fell to a 47-21 defeat. That result meant the USA Eagles now take-on Samoa in the Pacific Nations Cup 5th-place playoff next week with the winner earning a place at Rugby World Cup 2027. Japan’s win over the USA also saw Canada officially qualifying for Rugby World Cup 2027.
 QUALIFIED TEAMS FOR RUGBY WORLD CUP 2027 |
| TEAM | QUALIFIED VIA | PREVIOUS WORLD CUPS |
| Australia | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| South Africa | Automatic (RWC 2023) | 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023 |
| England | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| Argentina | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| New Zealand | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| Fiji | Automatic (RWC 2023) | 1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023 |
| France | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| Wales | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| Ireland | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| Italy | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| Japan | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| Scotland | Automatic (RWC 2023) | All tournaments (1987-2023) |
| Georgia | Rugby Europe Championship (Europe 1) | 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023 |
| Spain | Rugby Europe Championship (Europe 2) | 1999 |
| Romania | Rugby Europe Championship (Europe 3) | 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023 |
| Portugal | Rugby Europe Championship (Europe 4) | 2007, 2023 |
| Hong Kong | Asia Rugby Championship (Asia 1) | – |
| Zimbabwe | Rugby Africa Cup (Africa 1) | 1987, 1991 |
| Tonga | Pacific Nations Cup (Pacific 1) | 1987, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023 |
| Uruguay | South American Championship (Sudamérica 1) | 1999, 2003, 2015, 2019, 2023 |
| Canada | Pacific Nations Cup (Pacific 2) | 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 |
| WHO CAN STILL QUALIFY? |
The three remaining vacancies will be claimed via (a) Pacific Nations Cup, (b) Sudamérica 2 vs Pacific 4 play-off series and (c) Repechage – Final Qualification Tournament.
Either Samoa or the USA will qualify via the Pacific Nations Cup. World Rugby allocated three places to teams from the Pacific Nations Cup; Tonga and Canada claimed the first and second of these. The remaining qualifier from the Pacific Nations Cup will qualify for Australia 2027 as Pacific 3.
The unsuccessful team of Samoa and the USA will be classified as Pacific 4 and face Chile (Sudamérica 2). Game one of the series will be in Salt Lake City, Utah on September 20 with the return fixture being in Santiago, Chile on September 27.
The winner of Sudamérica 2 vs Pacific 4 will qualify for Australia 2023 as the Sudamérica vs Pacific play-off winner. The loser will join Belgium, Namibia and Sudamérica 3 (Brazil or Paraguay) in the final place repechage tournament.
In summary, the remaining 3 vacancies at Australia 2027 can be claimed as follows: Samoa and USA both have 3 opportunities to qualify; Chile have 2 opportunities and Belgium, Namibia and either Brazil or Paraguay have 1 opportunity.
