Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament was first held in 1987, when the tournament was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia. The winners are awarded the Webb Ellis Cup, named after William Webb Ellis, the Rugby School pupil who, according to a popular legend, invented rugby by picking up the ball during a football game. Four countries have won the trophy; New Zealand three times, Australia and South Africa each twice, and England once. New Zealand are the current champions, having defeated
2023 Rugby World Cup host cities were selected. This list was later reduced to 9 cities (excluding Paris, Montpellier and Lens) : The Rugby World Cup may expand from its current 20 teams for the 2023 tournament. A total of 12 teams will have gained automatic qualification to the tournament after finishing in the top three of their pool at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. while France automatically qualifies as host. The below table shows the qualified teams with their World Rankings as of first tournament date (8 September 2023): 2023 Rugby World Cup The 2023 Rugby World Cup, to be hosted by France,