Bok centre Andre Esterhuizen on the charge against Tonga at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. (Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images)
- World Rugby on Tuesday announced its new plans for the global game for the next few years.
- The Rugby World Cup will expand from 20 to 24 teams from 2027.
- The global governing body also confirmed a new bi-annual ‘Nations Cup’ from 2026. It will comprise a top division of 12 teams from the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship.
- For more sports news, go to the News24 Sport front page.
The men’s Rugby World Cup will enlarge from 20 nations to 24 for its next edition in Australia in 2027, World Rugby announced on Tuesday.
Visit News24’s Rugby World Cup 2023 zone for fixtures, pools, profiles, top stories
The sport’s governing body said in a statement the move would “provide more qualification opportunities for more teams and regional competitions”.
The World Rugby Council has approved transformational reform of the global men’s and women’s rugby calendars Including the first-ever dedicated women’s and men’s calendars from 2026 and expansion of Rugby World Cup to 24 teams in 2027To find out more: https://t.co/iQln1BcIid
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) October 24, 2023
Meanwhile, World Rugby also confirmed a new bi-annual international competition from 2026, comprising a top division of 12 teams from the Six Nations and the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship., World Rugby said on Tuesday.
Two further countries – thought likely to be Japan and Fiji – will be invited to make up the dozen with matches being played in July and November.
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