Wales will find out their World Cup 2027 fate on Wednesday, with the tournament looking different this time around
Wales will find out who they face at the Rugby World Cup in 2027 on Wednesday morning when the official draw is held in Sydney.
Steve Tandy’s men have endured a bruising run this autumn, including a humiliating hammering at the hands of world champions South Africa. However, they will be hoping they can build some momentum ahead of the tournament in Australia.
Wales are in Band 2 after securing their place in the top 12 of the latest world rankings due to their narrow win over Japan.
The tournament has been expanded to 24 teams this time around, and there are a few other significant changes to bear in mind.
Here’s how it will all work.
The bands
Band 1
South Africa
New Zealand
England
Ireland
France
Argentina
Band 2
Australia
Fiji
Scotland
Italy
Wales
Japan
Band 3
Georgia
Uruguay
Spain
USA
Chile
Tonga
Band 4
Samoa
Portugal
Romania
Hong Kong
Zimbabwe
Canada
Best case scenario
Wales cannot be drawn with any of the teams from Band 2, with their pool set to take one team from each of the other three bands.
Arguably all of the sides in Band 1 will be seen as a stern test, but one suspects Argentina would likely be seen as the most preferable option despite the fact they put 52 points past Wales just a few weeks ago. They are the sixth-ranked side among the top seeds.
On the basis of the world rankings, one would argue Tonga would be the most attractive option from Band 3, but they are still one of the more experienced nations Wales could face.
As such, Chile might be seen as the more favourable prospect.
Similarly, Hong Kong‘s lack of World Cup pedigree (this being their first ever tournament), means they are the best possibility from Band 4.
Worst case scenario
The prospect of facing South Africa will surely strike fear into most sides at the moment, and Wales will be no different following their mauling at the hands of the Springboks in Cardiff.
Georgia take their place in Band 3 after slipping out of the top 12 in the world rankings, but they will still be seen as the toughest choice and, of course, have beaten Wales before.
In Band 4, Samoa have proved problematic opposition for Wales in the past, most notably in 1991 when they shocked the rugby world by edging to a 16-13 win. The Samoans could be boosted by some new faces for the tournament due to changes in World Rugby’s eligibility laws that mean the likes of Manu Tuialagi could switch allegiances by then.
When is the draw?
The draw will take place in Sydney on Wednesday, December 3. It is expected to being around 9am UK time. You can follow it live here on WalesOnline
How the competition will work
With more teams in the competition, this World Cup will, for the first time, feature a round of 16.
In total, there will be six pools with four teams each.
The teams that finish top of Pool A, B, C and D will face a third-place team in the round of 16, while the teams that finish top of Pool E and F will face teams that finished second in their pool. Likewise, some teams that finished second in their pool may face the winner of another pool, while some will face the runners-up.
While on the surface that may seem slightly unfair, that imbalance is addressed in the next round. Let’s take Pool A and Pool E as an example. The team that wins Pool A will face a third-place team in the round of 16, but in the quarter-finals could potentially meet the winner of Pool B if that team wins their round of 16 match.
On the other hand, the team that wins Pool E will face a runner-up rather than a third-place team in the round of 16, but in the quarter-finals would face the winner of a quarter-final between two other runners-up. So while the winner of Pool A would face a third-ranked team and then potentially a top-ranked team in their games, the winner of Pool E would face second-ranked teams in both games. There’s therefore no advantage or disadvantage to be gained or lost regardless of your team’s raking at the end of the pool stage, it will all even out in the end.