The Rugby World Cup 2027 runs from Friday, October 1, to Saturday, November 13, 2027, in Australia. Twenty-four teams play 52 matches in seven cities, with the final at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
The Rugby World Cup 2027 is the 11th edition of the men’s rugby union world championship. It is the first to be branded as the Men’s Rugby World Cup and the first with 24 teams.
Every one of the 36 pool matches falls on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday, so there is no midweek pool rugby. Four separate daylight-saving changes happen during the tournament, in Australia, Europe and North America, so the gap between Sydney and London or New York shifts mid-tournament.
The semi-finals and final all kick off at 8:00 p.m. in Sydney, yet the final starts an hour earlier in New York than the semi-finals do. The tables below give every fixture, the headline kickoffs across eight time zones, all six pools and the eight venues.
Table of Contents
When is the Rugby World Cup 2027?
The Rugby World Cup 2027 starts on Friday, October 1, 2027, with Australia vs. Hong Kong China in Perth, and ends with the final on Saturday, November 13, 2027, in Sydney. The tournament lasts 44 days, about one week shorter than the 2023 edition in France.
The table below lists each stage with its dates, weekdays, and number of matches. Dates come from the official schedule as published by Gold Coast & District Rugby Union and are cross-checked against Wikipedia.
| Stage | Start date | End date | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool stage | Friday, October 1, 2027 | Sunday, October 17, 2027 | 36 |
| Round of 16 | Saturday, October 23, 2027 | Sunday, October 24, 2027 | 8 |
| Quarter-finals | Saturday, October 30, 2027 | Sunday, October 31, 2027 | 4 |
| Semi-finals | Friday, November 5, 2027 | Saturday, November 6, 2027 | 2 |
| Bronze final | Friday, November 12, 2027 | Friday, November 12, 2027 | 1 |
| Final | Saturday, November 13, 2027 | Saturday, November 13, 2027 | 1 |
Rugby World Cup 2027 pool stage dates
The pool stage runs over three long weekends: October 1 to 4, October 8 to 11, and October 15 to 17, 2027. Each pool plays a six-match round-robin. Teams earn four points for a win and two for a draw.
A team also earns a bonus point for scoring four or more tries, and a losing bonus point for losing by fewer than eight points (Wikipedia). Five clear days, Monday, October 18, to Friday, October 22, separate the last pool match from the round of 16.
Rugby World Cup 2027 knockout stage dates
The knockout stage runs from Saturday, October 23, to Saturday, November 13, 2027. The round of 16 is new in 2027. It replaces the format of four pools of five used from 2003 to 2023, and it raises the total from 48 matches to 52.
A drawn knockout match goes to two 10-minute periods of extra time. If the score is still level, a 10-minute sudden-death period follows, and the first team to score wins. If that period is scoreless too, a kicking competition decides the match.
How the round of 16 is filled
The round of 16 is filled by the six pool winners, the six runners-up and the four best third-placed teams. Third-placed teams level on points are separated by points difference, then points scored, then tries scored.
If they are still level, the higher World Rugby ranking on Monday, October 18, 2027, decides (Wikipedia). The bracket places each qualifying third-placed team so that no round-of-16 or quarter-final tie repeats a pool match.
Rugby World Cup 2027 kickoff times by time zone
All official Rugby World Cup 2027 kickoff times are local to the host city, and Australia uses three time zones during the tournament. Perth uses AWST (UTC+8).
Brisbane and Townsville use AEST (UTC+10) all year. Sydney, Newcastle and Melbourne move from AEST (UTC+10) to AEDT (UTC+11) on Sunday, October 3, 2027. Adelaide moves from ACST (UTC+9:30) to ACDT (UTC+10:30) on the same day (timeanddate.com).
Headline matches in eight time zones
The table below converts eight headline kickoffs. Times in brackets fall on the previous calendar day.
| Match | Local kickoff | UTC | London | Johannesburg | Buenos Aires | New York | Los Angeles | Auckland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia v Hong Kong China, Friday, October 1 (Perth) | 6:45 p.m. | 10:45 | 11:45 | 12:45 | 07:45 | 06:45 | 03:45 | 23:45 |
| England v Tonga, Saturday, October 2 (Brisbane) | 8:15 p.m. | 10:15 | 11:15 | 12:15 | 07:15 | 06:15 | 03:15 | 23:15 |
| South Africa v Italy, Sunday, October 3 (Adelaide) | 2:15 p.m. | 03:45 | 04:45 | 05:45 | 00:45 | (23:45) | (20:45) | 16:45 |
| New Zealand v Australia, Saturday, October 9 (Sydney) | 5:10 p.m. | 06:10 | 07:10 | 08:10 | 03:10 | 02:10 | (23:10) | 19:10 |
| Ireland v Scotland, Sunday, October 10 (Perth) | 5:45 p.m. | 09:45 | 10:45 | 11:45 | 06:45 | 05:45 | 02:45 | 22:45 |
| England v Wales, Saturday, October 16 (Sydney) | 7:45 p.m. | 08:45 | 09:45 | 10:45 | 05:45 | 04:45 | 01:45 | 21:45 |
| Semi-final 1, Friday, November 5 (Sydney) | 8:00 p.m. | 09:00 | 09:00 | 11:00 | 06:00 | 05:00 | 02:00 | 22:00 |
| Final, Saturday, November 13 (Sydney) | 8:00 p.m. | 09:00 | 09:00 | 11:00 | 06:00 | 04:00 | 01:00 | 22:00 |
South Africa’s opening match against Italy is played on Saturday evening, October 2, in New York and Los Angeles, even though the date in Adelaide is Sunday, October 3.
The same applies to New Zealand v Australia in Los Angeles, which starts at 11:10 p.m. on Friday, October 8.
Clock changes during the tournament
Four daylight-saving changes move kickoff times for overseas viewers while the tournament is under way. Each one is listed below with the date it happens.
- Sunday, September 26, 2027: New Zealand moves to NZDT (UTC+13), five days before the opening match.
- Sunday, October 3, 2027: New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia start daylight saving time. Queensland and Western Australia do not.
- Sunday, October 31, 2027: The United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union end summer time. This falls on the second day of the quarter-finals.
- Sunday, November 7, 2027: The United States and Canada end daylight saving time, between the semi-finals and the final.
Because of the fourth change, the final kicks off at 4:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, while the semi-finals kick off at 5:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
In London, Quarter-final 1 on Saturday, October 30, starts at 6:45 a.m. BST. Quarter-final 3 on Sunday, October 31, starts at 6:00 a.m. GMT, after the clocks have gone back.
Rugby World Cup 2027 pools
The Rugby World Cup 2027 pools were drawn on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. It was the first draw held after every team had qualified (Wikipedia).
Teams were seeded into four bands using the World Rugby Rankings of Monday, December 1, 2025, and hosts Australia went directly into Pool A.
The table below lists the six pools in seeding order.
| Pool | Band 1 | Band 2 | Band 3 | Band 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | New Zealand | Australia (hosts) | Chile | Hong Kong China |
| B | South Africa | Italy | Georgia | Romania |
| C | Argentina | Fiji | Spain | Canada |
| D | Ireland | Scotland | Uruguay | Portugal |
| E | France | Japan | United States | Samoa |
| F | England | Wales | Tonga | Zimbabwe |
Pool A is the first time Australia and New Zealand have met in a World Cup pool. Pool D repeats the 2023 pool-stage meeting of Ireland and Scotland, and Pool F puts England and Wales together again.
Hong Kong China is the only debutant. It qualified as the 2025 Asia Rugby Championship winner. Zimbabwe returns for the first time since 1991, and Spain for the first time since 1999. Belgium, ranked 21st, was the only top-25 team to miss out. It finished one point behind Samoa in the Final Qualification Tournament.
Former champions in the 2027 field
Four nations have won the Rugby World Cup, and all four are playing in 2027. The table below lists their titles (Wikipedia).
| Team | Titles | Winning years | 2027 pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 4 | 1995, 2007, 2019, 2023 | B |
| New Zealand | 3 | 1987, 2011, 2015 | A |
| Australia | 2 | 1991, 1999 | A |
| England | 1 | 2003 | F |
Pool A is therefore the only pool with two former champions, New Zealand and Australia, who hold five titles between them.
Rugby World Cup 2027 full fixture list
The Rugby World Cup 2027 fixture list contains 52 matches. All times are local to the host city, as published in the official schedule (Gold Coast & District Rugby Union; Brisbane Airport).
Pool stage fixtures
The table below lists all 36 pool matches in date order.
| Date | Local time | Pool | Match | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, October 1 | 6:45 p.m. | A | Australia v Hong Kong China | Perth |
| Saturday, October 2 | 12:15 p.m. | F | Wales v Zimbabwe | Adelaide |
| Saturday, October 2 | 1:15 p.m. | A | New Zealand v Chile | Perth |
| Saturday, October 2 | 5:45 p.m. | E | France v USA | Melbourne |
| Saturday, October 2 | 8:15 p.m. | F | England v Tonga | Brisbane |
| Sunday, October 3 | 12:15 p.m. | E | Japan v Samoa | Newcastle |
| Sunday, October 3 | 2:15 p.m. | B | South Africa v Italy | Adelaide |
| Sunday, October 3 | 5:15 p.m. | D | Scotland v Uruguay | Melbourne |
| Sunday, October 3 | 8:15 p.m. | B | Georgia v Romania | Townsville |
| Monday, October 4 | 2:15 p.m. | C | Fiji v Spain | Newcastle |
| Monday, October 4 | 5:15 p.m. | D | Ireland v Portugal | Sydney (Sydney Football Stadium) |
| Monday, October 4 | 6:45 p.m. | C | Argentina v Canada | Brisbane |
| Friday, October 8 | 6:15 p.m. | F | Wales v Tonga | Melbourne |
| Friday, October 8 | 8:15 p.m. | F | England v Zimbabwe | Adelaide |
| Saturday, October 9 | 12:15 p.m. | E | USA v Samoa | Perth |
| Saturday, October 9 | 5:10 p.m. | A | New Zealand v Australia | Sydney (Stadium Australia) |
| Saturday, October 9 | 6:45 p.m. | E | France v Japan | Brisbane |
| Saturday, October 9 | 8:15 p.m. | A | Chile v Hong Kong China | Townsville |
| Sunday, October 10 | 12:15 p.m. | C | Fiji v Canada | Adelaide |
| Sunday, October 10 | 3:15 p.m. | C | Argentina v Spain | Melbourne |
| Sunday, October 10 | 4:45 p.m. | B | South Africa v Georgia | Brisbane |
| Sunday, October 10 | 5:45 p.m. | D | Ireland v Scotland | Perth |
| Monday, October 11 | 5:15 p.m. | D | Uruguay v Portugal | Newcastle |
| Monday, October 11 | 7:45 p.m. | B | Italy v Romania | Sydney (Sydney Football Stadium) |
| Friday, October 15 | 5:15 p.m. | A | New Zealand v Hong Kong China | Melbourne |
| Friday, October 15 | 8:00 p.m. | E | Japan v USA | Adelaide |
| Friday, October 15 | 8:15 p.m. | F | Tonga v Zimbabwe | Townsville |
| Saturday, October 16 | 1:15 p.m. | C | Argentina v Fiji | Adelaide |
| Saturday, October 16 | 3:10 p.m. | A | Australia v Chile | Brisbane |
| Saturday, October 16 | 7:45 p.m. | F | England v Wales | Sydney (Stadium Australia) |
| Saturday, October 16 | 8:15 p.m. | C | Spain v Canada | Townsville |
| Sunday, October 17 | 12:15 p.m. | B | Italy v Georgia | Newcastle |
| Sunday, October 17 | 2:45 p.m. | D | Ireland v Uruguay | Melbourne |
| Sunday, October 17 | 4:15 p.m. | D | Scotland v Portugal | Brisbane |
| Sunday, October 17 | 7:15 p.m. | B | South Africa v Romania | Perth |
| Sunday, October 17 | 7:45 p.m. | E | France v Samoa | Sydney (Sydney Football Stadium) |
Knockout fixtures
The table below lists all 16 knockout matches with their bracket positions.
| Date | Local time | Match | Fixture | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, October 23 | 2:15 p.m. | Round of 16 (1) | 2nd Pool C v 2nd Pool F | Sydney (Sydney Football Stadium) |
| Saturday, October 23 | 3:45 p.m. | Round of 16 (2) | 1st Pool A v 3rd Pool C/E/F | Brisbane |
| Saturday, October 23 | 6:45 p.m. | Round of 16 (4) | 1st Pool B v 3rd Pool D/E/F | Perth |
| Saturday, October 23 | 7:15 p.m. | Round of 16 (3) | 1st Pool E v 2nd Pool D | Melbourne |
| Sunday, October 24 | 2:15 p.m. | Round of 16 (5) | 1st Pool C v 3rd Pool A/E/F | Sydney (Sydney Football Stadium) |
| Sunday, October 24 | 4:45 p.m. | Round of 16 (6) | 1st Pool D v 3rd Pool B/E/F | Melbourne |
| Sunday, October 24 | 6:15 p.m. | Round of 16 (7) | 2nd Pool A v 2nd Pool E | Brisbane |
| Sunday, October 24 | 6:45 p.m. | Round of 16 (8) | 1st Pool F v 2nd Pool B | Perth |
| Saturday, October 30 | 4:45 p.m. | Quarter-final 1 | Winner R16 (2) v Winner R16 (4) | Sydney (Stadium Australia) |
| Saturday, October 30 | 6:45 p.m. | Quarter-final 2 | Winner R16 (1) v Winner R16 (3) | Brisbane |
| Sunday, October 31 | 4:00 p.m. | Quarter-final 3 | Winner R16 (5) v Winner R16 (6) | Brisbane |
| Sunday, October 31 | 8:00 p.m. | Quarter-final 4 | Winner R16 (7) v Winner R16 (8) | Sydney (Stadium Australia) |
| Friday, November 5 | 8:00 p.m. | Semi-final 1 | Winner QF1 v Winner QF2 | Sydney (Stadium Australia) |
| Saturday, November 6 | 8:00 p.m. | Semi-final 2 | Winner QF3 v Winner QF4 | Sydney (Stadium Australia) |
| Friday, November 12 | 7:45 p.m. | Bronze final | Semi-final runners-up | Sydney (Stadium Australia) |
| Saturday, November 13 | 8:00 p.m. | Final | Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 | Sydney (Stadium Australia) |
The Round of 16 (3) and (4) matches on Saturday, October 23, are listed above in actual kickoff order. The 6:45 p.m. Perth kickoff (10:45 UTC) begins three and a half hours after the 7:15 p.m. Melbourne kickoff (08:15 UTC).
Where is the Rugby World Cup 2027 played?
The Rugby World Cup 2027 is played at eight stadiums in seven Australian cities, with Sydney providing two venues (Wikipedia; World Rugby).
The table below lists each venue, its capacity, and the matches it hosts.
| Stadium | City | Capacity | Matches hosted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium Australia | Sydney | 82,000 | 2 pool, 2 quarter-finals, 2 semi-finals, bronze final, final |
| Perth Stadium | Perth | 65,000 (rectangular mode) | Opening match, 5 pool, 2 round of 16 |
| Adelaide Oval | Adelaide | 53,500 | 6 pool |
| Docklands Stadium | Melbourne | 53,000 | 6 pool, 2 round of 16 |
| Brisbane Stadium | Brisbane | 52,500 | 6 pool, 2 round of 16, 2 quarter-finals |
| Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney | 42,500 | 3 pool, 2 round of 16 |
| Newcastle Stadium | Newcastle | 33,000 | 4 pool |
| North Queensland Stadium | Townsville | 25,455 | 4 pool |
The Melbourne Cricket Ground hosts no matches. Its availability in October 2027 could not be guaranteed because of an exclusivity clause in an agreement between the Victorian government and the National Football League, so Melbourne’s games moved to Docklands Stadium (The Sydney Morning Herald). World Rugby confirmed Docklands in January 2026.
This is Australia’s third Rugby World Cup. It co-hosted the first tournament in 1987 with New Zealand and hosted alone in 2003. World Rugby awarded the 2027 tournament to Australia on Thursday, May 12, 2022.
Rugby World Cup 2027 tickets
More than 2.5 million tickets are available for the Rugby World Cup 2027, more than for any previous men’s tournament. Adult tickets start at A$40 for pool matches and A$65 for Wallabies matches.
Children’s tickets start at A$20 for every match except the semi-finals and the final (World Rugby; Waratahs). More than one million tickets are priced under A$100.
Tickets have been released in the phases listed below, in the order they opened.
- Superfan Pass: 2,027 passes went on sale on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. AEST. Each pass guarantees early purchase access; match tickets are paid for separately.
- Presale: opened in February 2026 for fans registered by the end of January 2026. More than 750,000 tickets sold in the first phases, over half of them within six hours of the presale opening (World Rugby).
- Application phase: opened on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, and ran for three weeks. Oversubscribed price categories went to a ballot.
Ticketmaster is the official ticketing provider. World Rugby states that tickets bought through unofficial platforms will be cancelled. The most requested matches in the presale were Australia v New Zealand, England v Wales, Ireland v Scotland and the knockout rounds.
What the Rugby World Cup 2027 is not
The Rugby World Cup 2027 is the men’s 15-a-side rugby union championship. It is not the women’s tournament, rugby league, or sevens, and it is unrelated to the FIFA World Cup.
These competitions share similar names and appear in the same searches. The table below shows how they differ.
| Competition | Code | Organiser | Players per side | Relation to the 2027 tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 | Rugby union | World Rugby | 15 | This tournament |
| Women’s Rugby World Cup | Rugby union | World Rugby | 15 | Separate tournament; Australia hosts the 2029 edition |
| Rugby League World Cup | Rugby league | International Rugby League | 13 | Different sport with different laws |
| Rugby World Cup Sevens | Rugby union sevens | World Rugby | 7 | Separate short-format event |
| FIFA World Cup | Association football | FIFA | 11 | Unrelated sport; the 2026 edition ended in July 2026 |
The Women’s Rugby World Cup used no gender label in its 2021 edition. That is one reason World Rugby added “Men’s” to the 2027 branding, which it announced in October 2023 (Wikipedia).
Australia hosts a second major tournament in early 2027. The AFC Asian Cup 2027 takes place in Saudi Arabia from Thursday, January 7, to Friday, February 5, 2027, and Australia’s football team plays in Group D.
In the United States, rugby’s broadcast home is Paramount+, the same group that holds rights to Super Bowl LXI’s broadcaster rival networks’ calendar in February. Supporters travelling from South Asia should check the Diwali 2027 dates against the late-October knockout schedule.
Where to watch the Rugby World Cup 2027
Broadcast rights are sold by territory. The table below lists the confirmed rights holders in major markets (Wikipedia, citing World Rugby announcements).
| Territory | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Australia | Stan Sport and Nine Network |
| United Kingdom | ITV |
| France | TF1 |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport and Sky Open |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | SuperSport |
| United States | Paramount+ |
Frequently asked questions
Who is the defending Rugby World Cup champion?
South Africa is the defending champion. It beat New Zealand in the 2023 final in France to win its second consecutive title and fourth overall, after 1995, 2007 and 2019. South Africa plays in Pool B in 2027, with Italy, Georgia and Romania, and opens against Italy in Adelaide on Sunday, October 3, 2027.
Is there a third-place match at the Rugby World Cup 2027?
Yes. The bronze final between the two losing semi-finalists is played on Friday, November 12, 2027, at 7:45 p.m. AEDT at Stadium Australia in Sydney. That is 08:45 UTC, 8:45 a.m. in London and 3:45 a.m. EST in New York. The final follows at the same stadium the next evening.
What time is the Rugby World Cup 2027 final in the UK?
The final kicks off at 9:00 a.m. GMT on Saturday, November 13, 2027, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The local kickoff in Sydney is 8:00 p.m. AEDT. British clocks will have returned to GMT on Sunday, October 31, so the final starts one hour earlier for UK viewers than the pool matches did.
Which country has won the most Rugby World Cup titles?
South Africa has won the most titles, with four: 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2023. New Zealand has three, Australia has two and England has one. Only these four nations have won the tournament across the 10 editions held since 1987, and all four have qualified for 2027.
How many teams qualify from each pool?
The top two teams in each of the six pools qualify, along with the four best third-placed teams. That makes 16 teams in the round of 16, played on Saturday, October 23, and Sunday, October 24, 2027. Two third-placed teams and all six fourth-placed teams go out after the pool stage ends on Sunday, October 17.
How much do Rugby World Cup 2027 tickets cost?
Adult tickets start at A$40 for pool matches and A$65 for matches involving the Wallabies. Children’s tickets start at A$20 for every match except the semi-finals and the final. More than one million of the 2.5 million tickets are priced under A$100. Tickets are sold only through the official Ticketmaster platform.
