The draw for the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 will be held in Sydney on Wednesday. Marking the official start of excitement for an expanded tournament format. This time, there will be 24 teams competing, which is a major increase from the traditional number of 20.
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These 24 teams will be split into six pools, with four teams in each pool. Fans in Australia will be able to watch the draw live on Stan Sport, 9Gem, and 9Now, while viewers around the world can stream it through RugbyPass TV and the official World Rugby YouTube channel.
Coverage begins at 8 p.m. AEDT, which is 9 a.m. for those watching in Ireland. The tournament itself will begin on October 1, 2027, when Australia hosts the opening match at Perth Stadium. Organisers say this game will kick off a fresh era for men’s international rugby.
For decades, Rugby World Cups followed a familiar structure: 20 teams divided into four pools of five teams. After facing every team in their pool, the top two would move on to the quarter-finals, which served as the first knockout round. That system has been the standard since the 2003 World Cup. But with four additional teams coming to Australia in 2027.
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Round of 16 Introduced for Rugby World Cup 2027
World Rugby needed to make changes to keep the competition fair, exciting, and manageable. The biggest adjustment is the introduction of a round of 16, which replaces the old straight-to-quarter-final format. Here’s how it will work. With six pools of four teams each, the first goal for every country is to finish in the top two in their pool.
This guarantees advancement to the round of 16. But there is also a new twist: four third-place teams will also make it through. Which four teams qualify will be based on competition points. If there’s a tie and teams cannot be separated by points alone, then points difference will be used, and if necessary, after that, try difference will come into play.
There will be more matches for fans to enjoy, but not more matches for the players to endure. The last Rugby World Cup in France featured 48 total games. The 2027 tournament, thanks to new knockout fixtures, will include 52 matches. World Rugby has emphasised that player welfare was central to designing this new format.
Every team will receive at least five rest days between fixtures, which is intended to reduce fatigue, limit injuries, and keep the standard of rugby high throughout the event. Another benefit of the changes is that teams will actually play fewer pool games, even though the overall tournament includes more nations.
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Rugby World Cup Final: Balanced Pools Create Fair Scheduling
Since pools now contain four teams instead of five, every team plays just three group-stage matches rather than four. For example, South Africa played seven matches when they won the 2023 Rugby World Cup, four in the pool, then three knockout games: quarter-final, semi-final, and final.
In 2027, a team that reaches the final will still play seven matches: three in the pool, then a round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and final. Fans get more knockout rugby and more overall matches, without adding to player workload.
The even number of teams in every pool also means no side will have a bye week, which used to create uneven schedules and long waits between matches. Another major improvement is timing. Although the tournament will include four extra teams, the pool stage will actually be shorter and more efficient.
The 2023 World Cup lasted 50 days from start to finish. The 2027 edition will be completed in 43 days, or six weeks total. Organisers believe this tighter schedule will create a sharper, more dramatic competition from beginning to end. The knockout bracket will also look different.
Pool winners from groups A, B, C, and D will take on third-place teams in the round of 16. Meanwhile, the winners of pools E and F will meet the pool runners-up. From there, it becomes a straight elimination pathway all the way to the championship match.
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