Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 Schedule

Editor: Will the relatively easy Pool B that the Springboks find themselves in be a hinderance or an aid to another World Cup victory for Rassie’s men? 

The match schedule and ticket prices for Men’s Rugby World Cup Australia 2027 have been revealed, confirming dates, venues, and kick-off times for all 52 tournament matches. Fans and teams can now start planning their Rugby World Cup journey to Australia, with first tickets available from 18 February for registered fans in the exclusive Presale.

To mark the moment, Rugby World Cup winner and former Wallaby captain John Eales together with Australia’s Joseph Suaalii took the Webb Ellis Cup to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They were joined by 24 young people from local rugby communities representing the 24 teams involved in the tournament.

South Africa are in Pool B with Italy, Georgia and Romania.

The Springboks Opening Three Matches:

1. Sunday 3 October 2027: South Africa v Italy – 05:45 at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
2. Sunday 10 October 2027: South Africa v Georgia – 08:45 at the Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
3. Sunday 17 October 2027: South Africa v Romania – 13:15 at the Perth Stadium, Perth

View the full match schedule

A new era for rugby’s biggest stage

The eleventh edition of Men’s Rugby World Cup is the first under the expanded 24-team format, delivering more matches, more drama, and more opportunities for fans to experience the pinnacle of the sport. With seven consecutive weekends of rugby passion, the schedule has been designed to maximise attendance and global impact while prioritising player welfare and fan experience.

Men’s Rugby World Cup Australia 2027 will launch with a landmark moment in Perth | Boorloo on 1 October, as Australia face RWC debutants Hong Kong China in the opening match of the tournament, a powerful symbol of rugby’s expanding global footprint with more nations earning place to compete on the sport’s biggest stage. Following the opener, the Wallabies will travel from Perth to Sydney | Gadigal and Brisbane | Meeanjin during the pool phase, giving fans across the country the opportunity go all out and be part of this once in a generation national celebration.

Meanwhile, reigning champions South Africa will launch their Rugby World Cup campaign in Adelaide | Tarntanya on 3 October, taking on Italy as they pursue an historic third consecutive title. The Adelaide Oval will also mark Zimbabwe’s first Rugby World Cup appearance since 1991, as they face Wales the previous day.

Played across 19 matchdays, the schedule deliberately clusters matches on weekends to maximise attendance and bring local communities together for an unforgettable celebration of rugby, with only two Monday across the tournament’s six weeks – one coinciding with a public holiday in Australia.

Two matches staged in the same city over the same weekend will take place across all seven vibrant host cities including Newcastle | Awabakal-Worimi and Townsville | Gurambilbarra, creating an international festival atmosphere with fans from up to four nations sharing the experience. The pool phase will conclude in a historic Super Sunday on 17 October, featuring five Rugby World Cup matches played in a single day, a first in tournament history and a showcase of rugby passion at its peak.

Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney will remain at the heart of the action as they host the first-ever round of 16, giving pool winners and runners-up certainty over their knockout locations. The four best third-placed teams will also progress, with opponents determined by their pool of origin.

Brisbane Stadium and Stadium Australia in Sydney | Wangal will then take centre stage for back-to-back quarter-finals on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October, before the eyes of the rugby world turn fully to Sydney for the semi-finals, the bronze final and the ultimate climax: the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 Final played on Saturday 13 November, 2027.

A schedule designed with teams and fans in mind

The calendar has been designed with balanced travel logistics to ensure fairness and high‑quality performance across all 24 teams, including a minimum of five rest days between matches. Kick-off times have been chosen to suit local conditions, including later starts in warmer cities such as Townsville and Brisbane, while enabling the widest possible global audience to follow their teams across different time zones.

Behind the scenes, this schedule is the result of a rigorous technical analysis of venues – from average temperatures and capacities to transport and security – combined with collaborative planning across competition management, team services, broadcast, medical, ticketing and wider stakeholders.

Match Schedule 1 October to 13 November 2027:

1. Friday – 1 October at 18:45 | Australia v Hong Kong China | Perth Stadium, Perth Boorloo
2. Saturday – 2 October at 12:15 | Wales v Zimbabwe | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Tarntanya
3. Saturday – 2 October at 13:15 | New Zealand v Chile | Perth Stadium, Perth Boorloo
4. Saturday – 2 October at 17:45 | France v USA | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Narrm
5. Saturday – 2 October at 20:15 | England v Tonga | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Meeanjin
6. Sunday – 3 October at 12:15 | Japan v Samoa | Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle Awabakal-Worimi
7. Sunday – 3 October at 14:15 | South Africa v Italy | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Tarntanya
8. Sunday – 3 October at 17:15 | Scotland v Uruguay | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Narrm
9. Sunday – 3 October at 20:15 | Georgia v Romania | North Queensland Stadium, Townsville Gurambilbarra
10. Monday – 4 October at 14:15 | Fiji v Spain | Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle Awabakal-Worimi
11. Monday – 4 October at 17:15 | Ireland v Portugal | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Gadigal
12. Monday – 4 October at 18:45 | Argentina v Canada | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Meeanjin
13. Friday – 8 October at 18:15 | Wales v Tonga | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Narrm
14. Friday – 8 October at 20:15 | England v Zimbabwe | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Tarntanya
15. Saturday – 9 October at 12:15 | USA v Samoa | Perth Stadium, Perth Boorloo
16. Saturday – 9 October at 17:10 | New Zealand v Australia | Stadium Australia, Sydney Wangal
17. Saturday – 9 October at 18:45 | France v Japan | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Meeanjin
18. Saturday – 9 October at 20:15 | Chile v Hong Kong China | North Queensland Stadium, Townsville Gurambilbarra
19. Sunday – 10 October at 12:15 | Fiji v Canada | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Tarntanya
20. Sunday – 10 October at 15:15 | Argentina v Spain | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Narrm
21. Sunday – 10 October at 16:45 | South Africa v Georgia | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Meeanjin
22. Sunday – 10 October at 17:45 | Ireland v Scotland | Perth Stadium, Perth Boorloo
23. Monday – 11 October at 17:15 | Uruguay v Portugal | Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle Awabakal-Worimi
24. Monday – 11 October at 19:45 | Italy v Romania | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Gadigal
25. Friday – 15 October at 17:15 | New Zealand v Hong Kong China | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Narrm
26. Friday – 15 October at 20:00 | Japan v USA | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Tarntanya
27. Friday – 15 October at 20:15 | Tonga v Zimbabwe | North Queensland Stadium, Townsville Gurambilbarra
28. Saturday – 16 October at 13:15 | Argentina v Fiji | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Tarntanya
29. Saturday – 16 October at 15:10 | Australia v Chile | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Meeanjin
30. Saturday – 16 October at 19:45 | England v Wales | Stadium Australia, Sydney Wangal
31. Saturday – 16 October at 20:15 | Spain v Canada | North Queensland Stadium, Townsville Gurambilbarra
32. Sunday – 17 October at 12:15 | Italy v Georgia | Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle Awabakal-Worimi
33. Sunday – 17 October at 14:45 | Ireland v Uruguay | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Narrm
34. Sunday – 17 October at 16:15 | Scotland v Portugal | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane Meeanjin
35. Sunday – 17 October at 19:45 | France v Samoa | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Gadigal
36. Sunday – 17 October at 19:15 | South Africa v Romania | Perth Stadium, Perth Boorloo
37. Saturday – 23 October at 14:15 | (1): 2nd Pool C v 2nd Pool F | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
38. Saturday – 23 October at 15:45 | (2): 1st Pool A v 3rd Pool C | Brisbane Stadium
39. Saturday – 23 October at 19:15 | (3): 1st Pool E v 2nd Pool D | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne
40. Saturday – 23 October at 18:45 | (4): 1st Pool B v 3rd Pool D | Perth Stadium
41. Sunday – 24 October at 14:15 | (5): 1st Pool C v 3rd Pool A | Sydney Football Stadium
42. Sunday – 24 October at 16:45 | (6): 1st Pool D v 3rd Pool B | Docklands Stadium
43. Sunday – 24 October at 18:15 | (7): 2nd Pool A v 2nd Pool E | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
44. Sunday – 24 October at 18:45 | (8): 1st Pool F v 2nd Pool B | Perth Stadium, Perth
45. Saturday – 30 October at 16:45 | Winner R16 (2) v Winner R16 (4) | Stadium Australia, Sydney
46. Saturday – 30 October at 18:45 | Winner R16 (1) v Winner R16 (3) | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
47. Sunday – 31 October at 16:00 | Winner R16 (5) v Winner R16 (6) | Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane
48. Sunday – 31 October at 20:00 | Winner R16 (7) v Winner R16 (8) | Stadium Australia, Sydney
49. Friday – 5 November at 20:00 | Winner QF1 v Winner QF2 | Stadium Australia, Sydney Wangal
50. Saturday – 6 November at 20:00 | Winner QF3 v Winner QF4 | Stadium Australia, Sydney Wangal
51. Friday – 12 November at 19:45 | Bronze final: Runner-up SF1 v Runner-up SF2 | Stadium Australia, Sydney Wangal
52. Saturday – 13 November at 20:00 | Final: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 | Stadium Australia, Sydney Wangal

Match schedule highlights

• 24 teams, 52 matches, 19 match days, 7 cities and 8 venues
• Opening match: Australia v Hong Kong China – 1 October, 2027, Perth Stadium
• Final: 13 November, Stadium Australia, Sydney | Wangal
• Super Sunday (17 October): five matches played in a single day for the first time ever to deliver an exciting end to the pool phase: Italy v Georgia, Ireland v Uruguay, Scotland v Portugal, France v Samoa, South Africa v Romania.
• Knockout Drama: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney will host the first-ever round of 16, followed by quarter-finals in Brisbane and Sydney, and then the semi-finals, bronze final, and the RWC Final at Stadium Australia on Saturday 13 November.

Record demand signals a Rugby World Cup like no other

Demand for tickets is already running high, with hundreds of thousands of fans already registered for the Presale that starts on 18 February at 12:00 AEDT (GMT+11) and closes on 4 March at 12:00 AEDT. This follows the incredible success of Superfan Passes, which sold out in under an hour last July, showing the excitement building for RWC 2027.

Tickets for Rugby World Cup 2027 will be available on a first-come, first-served basis via the official ticketing platform only at tickets.rugbyworldcup.com. Prices for the Presale and Application Sales Phases will start from AUD$40 for adults and AUD$20 for children. With one million tickets priced at AUD$100 or less and up to six price categories per match, the tournament has been designed to be accessible to fans of all budgets. Higher-priced tickets for the most iconic fixtures help support this inclusive pricing structure. To ensure fair access, ticket purchase limits will range from six to ten tickets per match, per customer.

Ticket prices range from $10 (standing child) to $1950 in the final on 13 November 2027 at Stadium Australia in Sydney on 13 November 2027.

Fans have until 17 February at 12:00 AEDT to create and activate their RWC 2027 ticketing account to access the exclusive Presale.

World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “The wait is over. This is the moment teams and fans have been waiting for and the start of their Rugby World Cup 2027 journey. We’ve assembled the most compelling match schedule to date, carefully designed to balance player welfare, fan experience and global reach. From the opening match in Perth | Boorloo to the final in Sydney | Wangal, get ready for six weeks of the greatest brand of rugby as our sport enters a new era of openness and entertainment with Australia 2027.”

Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 Managing Director Chris Stanley added “It’s an exhilarating time to be a rugby fan. The biggest edition of our sport’s pinnacle competition has taken full shape, with mouthwatering fixtures across the pool phase and blockbusters in every round. By clustering matches on weekends, local communities in our seven vibrant host cities will enjoy a festival atmosphere, with tickets available to suit all needs and budgets. Fans have a unique opportunity to be part of this historic edition and are encouraged to register now to access the exclusive Presale on 18 February.”

Fans can also secure ticket-inclusive hospitality and travel packages for all matches via Rugby World Cup Experiences to create unforgettable moments and enjoy exclusive access during the competition.