The draw date and format has been announced for Rugby World Cup 2027. Australia 2027 will be a 24-team format with six pools of four. It replaces the previous format of four pools of five which was utilized for Rugby World Cups 2003-2023.
The draw will take place with all 24 competitors finalized. Presently 23 of the 24 teams have been confirmed. The one remaining spot will be decided in November at Dubai, UAE. It will be a four team repechage tournament with either Brazil or Paraguay joining Belgium, Namibia and Samoa.
Rugby World Cup 2027 will kick-off in Perth, Western Australia with the Wallabies taking to the field in the tournament opener. Seven cities have been selected to host matches during the tournament. This marks a downsizing from the previous Australia-hosted RWC tournament in 2003.
World Rankings will be used as seeding for the pools. Teams will be drawn at random across four bands of six. The bands will separate the teams by rankings: 1-6, 7-12, 13-18 and 19-24. Argentina is presently 6th and tthe USA is 15th, Chile 17th, Uruguay 19th and Canada is ranked 24th.
Los Pumas are thus presently in the top band. However, it should be noted that the tournament organizers decided that Australia, as hosts, will be automatically placed in Pool A. This will be so regardless of whether Australia improve their ranking. Being placed into Pool A does not guarantee Australia as the top seed in the group.
Taking place on December 03, the Rugby World Cup 2027 draw will use the rankings at the end of the November internationals to separate the 24 participants into four bands of six teams. This will divide the teams into Pools A, B, C, D, E and F.
Australia 2027 will see the introduction of an additional elimination round at a Rugby World Cup for the first time. The Round-of-16 will feature the top two teams from each Pool, plus the four best third-placed teams. As displays below, Pool A, B, C and D will have an advantage as they will face third-placed teams rather than pool runners-up in the Round-of-16.
 RUGBY WORLD CUP 2027 – AMERICAS PARTICIPATION |
Rugby World Cup 2027 will have unprecedented Americas participation; a record five Americas teams will compete in Australia 2027. Three teams have qualified from South America and two from North America. This gives the Western Hemisphere one more competitor than the previous record number of four teams at Rugby World Cups 1999, 2003, 2015 and 2019.
Argentina qualified automatically while Canada, the USA, Uruguay and Chile all earned their places in Australia 2027 via Rugby World Cup Qualifiers. Chile’s victory of Samoa in Viña del Mar confirmed five Americas teams. Uruguay earlier qualified by splitting a series with Chile, Canada defeated the USA and the Eagles downed Samoa.
There is room for one more as a fourth South American, and sixth Americas, team could play at Rugby World Cup 2027. The winner of the Sudamérica 3 series between Brazil and Paraguay will join Samoa, Belgium and Namibia in repechage tournament. The winner will qualify for Australia 2027, claiming the last remaining spot.
 ALL MEN’S RUGBY WORLD CUPS – AMERICAS PARTICIPATION |
| RWC | HOST COUNTRY / COUNTRIES | AMERICAS PARTICIPANTS | NO. OF AMERICAS PARTICIPANTS |
| 1987 | New Zealand, Australia | Argentina, Canada, USA | 3 |
| 1991 | England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales | Argentina, Canada, USA | 3 |
| 1995 | South Africa | Argentina, Canada | 2 |
| 1999 | Wales, England, France, Ireland, Scotland | Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, USA | 4 |
| 2003 | Australia | Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, USA | 4 |
| 2007 | France, Scotland, Wales | Argentina, Canada, USA | 3 |
| 2011 | New Zealand | Argentina, Canada, USA | 3 |
| 2015 | England, Wales | Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, USA | 4 |
| 2019 | Japan | Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, USA | 4 |
| 2023 | France | Argentina, Chile, Uruguay | 3 |
| 2027 | Australia | Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, USA | 5 * |
* The qualifying process is ongoing.
