Rugby World Cup France 2023 preview
The excitement is building as the world’s 20 best rugby nations are set to compete for the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup in France this September/October.
Will Australia claim their first victory since 1999, or will one of New Zealand or South Africa stake their claim as the Kings of Rugby with their record fourth title? There is sure to be plenty of excitement around the host nation France, currently ranked 2nd in the world with home soil as an extra motivation to claim their first ever Rugby World Cup title.
Rugby World Cup France 2023 is set to kick off with a bang, with a blockbuster match between France and New Zealand on 8 September, 2023 at the iconic Stade de France, located to the north of Paris.
From there, the tournament will soak up the many famous sights, sounds and flavours of France, with matches played in nine venues across 10 host cities, from Marseille in the south to Lille in the north and everywhere in between, including Toulouse, Nice, Bordeaux and Lyon.
After six weeks of fierce competition, only one team will hoist the Webb Ellis Cup in Paris on October 28th, claiming the title of Rugby World Champions.
Rugby World Cup 2023 Schedule
From the opening ceremony to the final, you can catch every match of the RWC schedule through Sportsnet with one of our official Rugby World Cup travel packages.
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Rugby World Cup France host cities
Check out our Paris Destination Guide
Check out our Lille Destination Guide
Check out our Nantes Destination Guide
Check out our Lyon Destination Guide
Check out our Saint-Étienne Destination Guide
Check out our Bordeaux Destination Guide
Check out our Toulouse Destination Guide
Check out our Nice Destination Guide
Check out our Marseille Destination Guide
The tournament will feature 20 teams divided into four pools of five, with the top two from each pool advancing to the quarter-finals once all teams have played each other.
The qualification process for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France began during the pool stages of the 2019 tournament in Japan, when the top three teams from each of the four pools qualified automatically for the 2023 event. A further eight teams have since qualified through regional, cross-regional play-offs and the repechage process.
The current Rugby World rankings are listed below:
(as of February 2023)
1 |  | 91.33 | |
2 |  | 89.38 | |
3 |  | 88.98 | |
4 |  | South Africa | 88.97 |
5 |  | Scotland | 83.36 |
6 |  | 82.27 | |
7 |  | 81.80 | |
8 |  | 80.72 | |
9 |  | Wales | 77.73 |
10 |  | 77.39 |
Click on the country name to see team profiles.
How to watch the Rugby World Cup
In Australia, you’ve got two options for watching the Rugby World Cup. Firstly, online streaming service Stan Sport will be showing every single game.
Nine will be showing all of the Australian team’s games (and the final, whether or not the Wallabies make it), and will also be streaming it on 9Now.
Experience the Rugby World Cup 2023 live
Experience the world’s best rugby in the world’s most iconic travel destination with a Sportsnet Holidays RWC travel package. Our official travel packages include tickets and accommodation from the pools right through to the finals, as well as exclusive French experiences for the rugby trip of a lifetime.
Rugby World Cup 2023 is the 10th edition of the global tournament and the second time France will host it after 2007. Catch up with the full tournament schedule here.
The Bledisloe Cup is a massive piece of silverware awarded to the winner of a rugby union competition between Australia and New Zealand. But did you know that there are actually three Bledisloe Cups?
Rugby World Cup 2023 will not only be a momentous sporting event watched by millions, but a milestone for the game itself.
Let’s take a look back at four of our favourite Australia-France clashes over the years
