The 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup is planned to feature 24 teams.
The expansion was approved by World Rugby in October 2023, increasing the field from the 20 teams used at every tournament since 1999. Australia will host the 11th edition from 1 October to 13 November 2027.
The new format uses six pools of four teams. The top two teams in each pool, plus the four best third-place teams, advance to a newly added round of 16. That produces 52 matches, compared with 48 in the 20-team format.
The change is intended to give more nations access to the sport’s biggest stage while preserving rest periods and shortening the tournament window. The expansion is sometimes confused with earlier proposals for 24 teams, but 2027 is the first men’s Rugby World Cup officially confirmed to use that field size.