“Of course it leads to the challenges or the frustrations that we’ve had here.”

The head of World Rugby has acknowledged that there was a very apparent reason why the organization did not get the 2023 World Cup seedings and pool stage draw just right.

Following the unveiling of a new rugby schedule and an expanded World Cup, World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin spoke at a news conference in Paris on Tuesday. The Nations Cup and Challenger Series, two new events for the top 24 countries in the game, will be part of the new calendar when it launches in 2026.

Beginning with the Australian edition in 2027, the World Cup will feature 24 teams instead of just 20. It will also feature a shortened pool stage and an additional round of knockout games known as the Last 16.

Although many feel that in-form sides are not being rewarded, World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont approved a shift in scheduling for the 2027 World Cup seedings.

World Rugby confirm seeding changes

January 2026 is the new date that the 2027 World Cup seedings will be announced. The top two seeding for each pool will be determined by the world rankings at that point.

The seeds for the 2023 event were set in December 2020, however prior to the Covid-19 pandemic throwing all sports off balance, they were based on the global rankings as of January 2020. Ireland would be a second seed because they were ranked fifth in January 2020. Third seeded were Scotland, who were ranked ninth.

Ireland was top, South Africa was second, and Scotland was fifth when the 2023 tournament rolled along. The top four teams in the world rankings were all on the same side of the draw, creating a glaring imbalance. As it transpired, France (No. 3) and Ireland (No. 1) were eliminated before we could get to the final four.

Therefore, the objective is to decide on seedings and draw 20 months prior to the 2027 staging, rather than 45 months before the World Cup. Even while it’s far from perfect, it’s a vast improvement.

World Rugby’s Alan Gilpin stated, “I think we’ve said this a few times: I appreciate that there’s frustration about the draw for this World Cup.

“The truth is, and sometimes this gets missed a little bit, that when the draw for this tournament was made, we were in the midst of a global epidemic and nobody was playing international rugby. As a result, we were practically using the rankings that were in place after the last event. And that was crucial in order to plan for the fantastic tournament we’ve just had and allow teams, spectators, and those funding the event—all the stakeholders in this tournament—the chance to advance their planning.

“But of course it leads to the challenges or the frustrations that we’ve had here,” said Gilpin.

“It has always been acknowledged that we would like to alter that and move the draw closer to the competition.

“When you actually dig into that, you very quickly realize that there is a relatively small window between the end of the November internationals and the start of the next Six Nations in the men’s game when everyone is playing, if you are going to have a draw that is based on the integrity of global rankings in Rugby World Cups. As you get past that point, certain countries will have the chance to raise their rankings, while others won’t be able to do so until the conclusion of the November international competition.

“We believe that waiting until after the November international competitions in 2026 would be too late for the Rugby World Cup to be held in Australia. I believe it would jeopardize ticket sales, which jeopardizes the tournament’s funding. There would likely be a great deal of frustration among supporters if they could not make any firm plans for a Rugby World Cup that was less than a year away. Additionally, planning for the infrastructure required for that expansion would be extremely difficult, especially when there is a plan to expand to 24 teams.

“So, the moment we’ve taken the decision not to go as late as effectively 10 months before a Rugby World Cup then we are back to January 2026,” Gilpin said.

“So, hopefully again it’s a compromise but a better one than we have now.”