Rugby World Cup

The Men's Rugby World Cup is a big tournament for the sport of rugby union that happens every four years. The best teams from around the world compete to become the world champions. The winner gets a special trophy called the Webb Ellis Cup, named after William Webb Ellis, a man who is said to have started the game of rugby by picking up a ball and running with it during a football game.

The first Men's Rugby World Cup was held in 1987, with New Zealand and Australia hosting together. So far, four countries have won the cup: South Africa four times, New Zealand three times, Australia twice, and England once. South Africa is the current champion, after winning the 2023 tournament by beating New Zealand in the final.

The tournament started with sixteen teams, but in 1999 it grew to twenty teams. Japan hosted the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and France hosted the 2023 Rugby World Cup. In the future, the tournament will have even more teams—twenty-four in total—when it is held in Australia in 2027. The women's version of the tournament, called the Women's Rugby World Cup, also exists and has its own exciting competitions.

Format

Qualification

In the current format, 24 teams take part in each Rugby World Cup. Twelve teams automatically qualified for the 2027 event by finishing high in their groups in 2023. The remaining 12 spots were filled based on where teams are from—ten spots for Europe, seven for the Pacific area, two for South America, two for Africa, one for Asia, and one spot decided by a playoff between teams from different regions.

Tournament

The tournament includes twenty-four countries competing over six weeks in October and November. It has two parts: a group stage followed by a knockout stage. Teams are split into four groups, labeled A through F, with four teams each. The teams are placed in groups based on their rankings, with the host country always in Pool A.

Each team plays three games against the other teams in their group. A special points system gives extra points for good performances, even in losses. If teams have the same points, other rules decide their rankings.

The top sixteen teams—the winners and runners-up from each group, plus the four best third-place teams—move to the knockout stage. This stage has round-of-sixteen matches, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final. The final includes a match for third place and the main championship game. If a knockout game ends in a tie, extra time is used to decide a winner. If extra time doesn’t settle it, the first team to score any points wins.

History

Main article: History of the Rugby World Cup

Before the Rugby World Cup, there were other rugby competitions, like the annual Six Nations Championship. It started in 1883 as the Home Nations Championship between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Later, France joined, and then Italy joined in 2000, making it the Six Nations.

The idea for a Rugby World Cup was suggested many times since the 1950s. In the 1980s, Australia and New Zealand proposed it. In 1985, the idea was approved. The first tournament was held in 1987 in Australia and New Zealand. Sixteen teams played, and New Zealand won, beating France in the final.

Since then, many countries have hosted the Rugby World Cup. In 1995, South Africa hosted the tournament after ending a system that had separated people. They won the cup that year. In 1999, the number of teams increased to twenty. Australia won that year. In 2003, England won for the first time. In 2007, South Africa won again. In 2011, New Zealand won once more. In 2015, they won again, becoming the first team to win three times. In 2019, Japan hosted the tournament for the first time. South Africa won again in 2019 and also in 2023, hosted by France.

Trophy

Main article: Webb Ellis Cup

When a team wins the Rugby World Cup, they receive a special trophy called the Webb Ellis Cup. It is named after William Webb Ellis, who is said to have started the game of rugby. The trophy is tall, about as high as a grown-up's knee, and is made of silver with a golden shine. It has two handles shaped like figures from old stories. Between each tournament, the trophy is cleaned and the name of the winning team is added to it. In some places, people call the trophy "Bill" after William Webb Ellis.

Selection of hosts

The Rugby World Cup is organized by Rugby World Cup Ltd, which is owned by World Rugby. The host country is chosen by a vote from World Rugby Council members, with the voting kept secret. The host is usually picked five or six years before the tournament.

The Rugby World Cup has been held in many different countries. For example, in 1987, both Australia and New Zealand hosted together. To hold the final match, the host must have a stadium that can fit at least 60,000 fans. Sometimes, countries build new stadiums or improve old ones for the event. For instance, Millennium Stadium was built just for the 1999 tournament, and Eden Park was upgraded for 2011. Japan became the first country outside the usual rugby nations to host the tournament in 2019. France hosted in 2023, and the United States will host in 2031.

Tournament growth

The Rugby World Cup is considered one of the biggest sports events in the world, just after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. Each time the tournament happens, more people watch it on TV. In 1987, about 300 million people watched. By 2007, the numbers went up to around 4 billion, though some experts think these numbers might be too high.

The Rugby World Cup is very popular in countries where rugby is a big sport, like Australasia, South Africa, the British Isles, and France. For example, the 2003 final between Australia and England was the most watched rugby match ever on Australian TV. The 2023 tournament was also very successful, with over 1.33 billion viewing hours.

Results

See also: National team appearances in the Rugby World Cup

Twenty-six nations have taken part in the Rugby World Cup, not counting those still trying to get in. Only two countries have both hosted and won the tournament: New Zealand, in 1987 and 2011, and South Africa, in 1995. Other host countries have done well too. England hosted the 1991 final but ended up in second place, and Australia did the same in 2003. France, hosting in 2007, came in fourth, while Wales in 1999 and Japan in 2019 both made it to the quarter-finals.

Some host nations didn’t do as well. Wales was the first host to be eliminated in the early rounds in 1991, and England was the first solo host to be eliminated in the early rounds in 2015. Out of the twenty-five nations that have joined in at least one tournament, ten have never missed a single Rugby World Cup.

As of the 2027 World Cup, 27 nations have earned their spot to compete in 11 tournaments.

Records and statistics

Main articles: Records and statistics of the Rugby World Cup, List of Rugby World Cup try scorers, and List of Rugby World Cup hat-tricks

Some amazing records have been set in the Rugby World Cup over the years. English player Jonny Wilkinson scored the most points ever in the tournament, with 277 points. New Zealand's Grant Fox scored the most points in a single tournament, with 126 points in 1987. Sam Whitelock from New Zealand played in the most World Cup matches, with 26 games between 2011 and 2023.

New Zealand’s Jonah Lomu was the youngest player to ever appear in a final, at just 20 years and 43 days old during the 1995 final. He and South Africa's Bryan Habana share the record for the most tries scored in World Cup history, with 15 each. The biggest ever score in a game was 145 points, when the All Blacks beat Japan in 1995.