About Rugby World Cup 2023

Rugby World Cup 2023 will take place in France from 8 September to 28 October, 2023 with matches played in nine venues across 10 host cities.

The tournament will be the 10th men’s Rugby World Cup and the second to be hosted by France after a memorable event in 2007.

Rugby World Cup 2023 will take place in a year when the sport celebrates 200 years since Rugby School pupil William Webb Ellis was credited with inventing the game of rugby football by showing “a fine disregard for the rules” in catching the ball and running with it in 1823.

The tournament will set new standards in social responsibility, inclusion and sustainability for a major rugby event, targeting four key pillars for the tournament’s legacy:

  • Acting for sustainability and circular economy
  • Supporting education and employment
  • Respecting and protecting the environment
  • Promoting inclusivity

The showpiece event in men’s rugby union 15s, Rugby World Cup 2023 will feature 20 teams – 12 of which qualified directly by finishing in the top three in their pool at Japan 2019 and eight from a global qualification process. In total, 48 matches will be played across 51 days.