Five teams are still in with a shout of claiming the last remaining place in Australia for the 2027 Rugby World Cup
The draw for the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 takes place on 3 December 2025, when 24 international sides will find out who they’ll be facing in Australia. Twenty-three of those teams have already confirmed their places, leaving just one spot up for grabs.
Five sides remain in contention to claim the final berth at the biggest Rugby World Cup in history, with everything set to be decided in a winner-takes-all qualification tournament in November.
Below we explain which teams can still qualify for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup, what they need to do to get there, and how the other 23 teams booked their ticket to Australia.
Which teams can still qualify for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup?
Belgium, Namibia, Samoa, Brazil or Paraguay are the five teams still battling for a ticket to Australia.
South American rivals Brazil and Paraguay are in the midst of a two-legged play-off to remain in the competition. Paraguay won the first game 39-19, meaning that Brazil need to beat their neighbours by at least 21 points in the return fixture if they’re going to progress.
The winner of Saturday’s game in Jacareí (near São Paulo) will join Belgium, Namibia and Samoa in the round-robin Final Qualification Tournament, set to be played in Dubai from 8-18 November.
The team that tops the league table will claim that coveted final place in the Men’s Rugby World Cup draw.
How did everyone else qualify for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup?
Automatic qualifiers
The first 12 teams had a straightforward route to the finals, as every side that achieved a top three finish in their pool in 2023 automatically qualifies for 2027. Those teams are as follows:
- Argentina
- Australia
- England
- Fiji
- France
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Scotland
- South Africa
- Wales
Europe
In March, four more teams from Europe qualified by reaching the semi-finals of the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship 2025:
- Georgia
- Portugal
- Romania
- Spain
Asia
In July, the winner of the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship 2025 booked their place:
- Hong Kong China
Africa
The winners of the Rugby Africa Men’s Cup 2025 also secured their spot in July:
- Zimbabwe
South America
A spot for the winners of the Sudamérica Rugby Championship 2025 was confirmed in September:
- Uruguay
Pacific
Fiji beat Japan in the Pacific Nations Cup 2025 final in September, but with those teams already confirmed for Australia thanks to their exploits at France 2023, finishing third, fourth and fifth was enough to earn World Cup qualification for the following teams:
- Tonga
- Canada
- USA
South America/Pacific play-off:
In September, the runner-up from Sudamérica faced the sixth-placed Pacific team in a two-legged play-off. The winner guaranteed their World Cup place:
- Chile
How did the remaining five teams qualify for the final shootout in Dubai?
This is where things get a little more complicated, with each side having a different route to November’s Final Qualification Tournament:
- Belgium: Qualified by beating the Netherlands in the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship’s fifth-place play-off.
- Samoa: Finished sixth in the Pacific Nations Cup, securing them a place in the South America/Pacific play-off. Although they lost that game to Chile, they still live to fight another day in the Final Qualification Tournament.
- Namibia: Finishing second in Rugby Africa Men’s Cup earned Namibia a place in a July play-off against the runner-up from the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship. They beat the United Arab Emirates in Uganda to secure their spot in Dubai.
- Brazil or Paraguay: The reward for finishing behind Uruguay and Chile in the Sudamérica Rugby Championship was a place in the third-place play-off. The winner of this two-legged tie will join Belgium, Samoa and Namibia in the Final Qualification Tournament.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rugbyworld.com
