Paris:<\/strong> Rugby hailed the expansion of the World Cup and the introduction of a Nations League competition as a new dawn for the sport as it seeks to widen its international reach and increase revenue and opportunity.<\/p>\nWorld Rugby (WR) announced on Tuesday it had made several radical changes to the sport\u2019s calendar that it hoped would take the game into a new era and which it said was the final step in a long-term review of the game and its future.<\/p>\n
The changes include an expanded 24-team men\u2019s World Cup, a two-tier Nations League competition which would eventually offer lower-ranked sides more opportunity to play against top opposition and a new aligned international calendar.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf rugby is going to become a truly global sport, we simply have to make it more relevant, more accessible to more people around the world,\u201d WR chairman Sir Bill Beaumont told a press conference in Paris.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fitting that we finish this, the sport\u2019s greatest celebration of togetherness, with the sport\u2019s greatest feat of togetherness, the most significant development in the sport since the game went professional.<\/p>\n
Promised changes to rugby\u2019s traditional order have been debated for more than a decade but have routinely met with opposition from the sport\u2019s superpowers and Beaumont admitted the new plans had dissenters. \u201cBut on the whole there was a pretty significant vote in favour of the two competitions,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n
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The ongoing Rugby World Cup in France will be the last to feature 20 teams.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\nThe 2027 World Cup in Australia will expand from the current 20 to 24 teams, split into six first-round groups containing four sides each.<\/p>\n
There will be a round of 16 added and, despite more competing sides, the tournament will be shortened from seven weeks to six.<\/p>\n
Later draw<\/h3>\n
WR said the draw for the next World Cup would be made in January 2026, the latest it has ever been held before a tournament. It follows criticism that the draw for the World Cup in France, based on rankings from the 2019 tournament partly due to COVID, was made too early and led to lopsided competition with one side of the draw packed with top-ranked teams.<\/p>\n
One of the long-running issues at World Cups has been unhappiness from Tier Two nations about a lack of regular, competitive matches, with complaints about being excluded from a \u2018closed shop\u2019.<\/p>\n
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World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont speaks in Paris.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\nWR said they had addressed this by the introduction of a Nations League competition, with two 12-team divisions. It would start in 2026 and, although its format was not revealed, would see a top division comprising sides from the Six Nations and Rugby Championship, and reportedly Japan and Fiji, meeting every two years in the July and November international windows.<\/p>\n
There will be a second division with a further 12 teams, which will be run by World Rugby. There will be promotion and relegation between the two divisions, but only from 2030.<\/p>\n
WR promised that in the years when the Nations League was not played there would be \u201ca significant uplift in the number of crossover matches between unions in the respective divisions\u201d.<\/p>\n
There will also be an annual expanded Pacific Nations Cup competition in 2024 featuring Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now look forward to an exciting new era for our sport commencing in 2026,\u201d Beaumont said. \u201cAn era that will bring certainty and opportunity for all. An era that will support the many, not the few, and an era that will supercharge the development of the sport beyond its traditional and often self-imposed boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n
There will also be a first dedicated international release window in the women\u2019s game from 2026, with a review of the global calendar and competition structures promised in the future.<\/p>\n
WR also said there would be a \u201ccommitment to more effectively manage player load and welfare in the fast-evolving women\u2019s game\u201d.<\/p>\n
Reuters<\/strong><\/p>\nWatch all the action from Rugby World Cup 2023 on the Home of Rugby,<\/b> Stan Sport<\/b>. Every match streaming ad-free, live and in 4K UHD with replays, mini matches and highlights available on demand.<\/b><\/p>\n
Sports news, results and expert commentary.<\/i><\/b> Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nMost Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\nFrom our partners<\/h3>\n
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