2029 Women's Rugby World Cup
Eleventh edition of the Rugby World Cup for women
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The 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup will be the eleventh edition of the Women's Rugby World Cup. The tournament is due to be held in Australia, two years after the men's counterpart, making Australia the first country to host both the men's and women's Rugby World Cup in successive editions.[1][2][3][4] It will be the first Women's Rugby World Cup held in Australia, and the second in the southern hemisphere following the 2022 edition in New Zealand.[1]
The defending champions are England, who beat Canada 33–13 in the 2025 final at Twickenham Stadium.[5]
Host selection
On 13 August 2020, World Rugby announced a joint selection process for the next two men's and women's Rugby World Cups.[6] Australia was named preferred candidate for the 2029 tournament in April 2022.[7] The United States had expressed interest in hosting the 2029 women's tournament but redirected its focus to 2033.[7]
On 12 May 2022, the World Rugby Council unanimously confirmed Australia as host of both the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup and the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup at its annual meeting in Dublin.[1][8] The dual award made Australia the first country in history to host consecutive Rugby World Cups.[1]
Teams
Qualifying
Sixteen teams will compete in the tournament. World Rugby confirmed the qualification pathway in September 2025 alongside the launch of the WXV Global Series, a new international fixture series running from 2026 to 2028 that will serve as the central pathway to the tournament.[9][10] Five teams have already qualified: Australia as tournament hosts, and Canada, France, England, and New Zealand as the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup semi-finalists.[9] Eight further places will be filled through regional competition results in 2027, with two additional berths awarded to the best non-qualified teams via the World Rugby Women's Rankings at the end of the 2027 international window. The final place will be decided at the 2028 WXV Global Challenger Series, which will serve as the Final Qualification Tournament.[9][11]
| Region | Team | Qualification method |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | ||
| Asia | ||
| Europe |  England |
Top 4 at 2025 RWC |
 France |
Top 4 at 2025 RWC | |
| North America |  Canada |
Top 4 at 2025 RWC |
| Oceania |  Australia |
Hosts |
 New Zealand |
Top 4 at 2025 RWC | |
| South America | ||
Summary of qualified teams
| Team | Qualification method | Date of qualification | Appearance(s) | Previous best performance[a] | WR[b] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | First | Last | Streak | |||||
| Australia |
Host nation | 12 May 2022 | 9th | 1998 | 2025 | 9 | Third place (2010) | TBD |
| New Zealand |
Semifinalists in 2025 | 13 September 2025 | 10th | 1991 | 9 | Champions (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017, 2021) | TBD | |
| Canada |
11th | 1991 | 11 | Runners-up (2014, 2025) | TBD | |||
| France |
14 September 2025 | 11th | 1991 | 11 | Third place (1991, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2017, 2021) | TBD | ||
| England |
11th | 1991 | 11 | Champions (1994, 2014, 2025) | TBD | |||
