2027 Rugby World Cup

World Rugby is hoping to award the bids for both the 2027 and 2031 men's World Cups (along with the bids for the 2025 and 2029 women’s World Cups) by May 2022. The process of talking to prospective nations will begin in February 2021 with the formal candidate process commencing three months later. Finalists will be evaluated in February 2022.[1]

As of June 2019, three countries – Argentina, Australia and Russia – had declared their interest in hosting the 2027 Rugby World Cup.[2][3] There was speculation that the United States and South Africa would be interested in hosting the event, but the South African Rugby Union has stated that it would not be bidding for the 2027 World Cup.[4] Argentina withdrew their bid in April 2020.[5]

World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont suggested in late 2018 that the host of the Rugby World Cup following the 2023 event in France could be an emerging nation.[6] World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper also suggested in 2019 that World Rugby may bid the 2027 and 2031 World Cups together (as they did with England 2015 and Japan 2019), so that they could make “a bolder decision and a traditional decision.”[7] Gosper further suggested that “2031 could give time for an American bid to be very credible and very strong.”[7] The hosts for the 2027 and 2031 tournaments will be revealed in May 2022.[8]

The fact that three consecutive World Cups (England 2015, Japan 2019, and France 2023) will have occurred in the northern hemisphere makes the southern hemisphere countries considered the favourites.[9] Relatedly, the fact that the 2023 tournament will be in France makes it unlikely that World Rugby would select a European country to host in 2027.

Rugby Australia announced on 13 December 2017 that Australia would bid for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.[10] Australia has previously hosted the 1987 Rugby World Cup together with New Zealand, as well as the 2003 Rugby World Cup on its own.

Sydney	Brisbane	Perth	Melbourne
Stadium Australia	Lang Park	Perth Stadium	Docklands Stadium
Capacity: 75,000	Capacity: 52,500	Capacity: 65,000	Capacity: 56,347
Sydney	Sydney Brisbane Melbourne Adelaide Perth Gold Coast Townsville Canberra Newcastle		Melbourne
Sydney Football Stadium (2022)			Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Capacity: 45,000			Capacity: 33,000
Sydney			Adelaide
Western Sydney Stadium			Adelaide Oval
Capacity: 30,000			Capacity: 53,583
Newcastle	Gold Coast	Canberra	Townsville
Newcastle Stadium	Robina Stadium	Canberra Stadium	North Queensland Stadium
Capacity: 30,500	Capacity: 27,400	Capacity: 25,011	Capacity: 25,000

Stanislav Druzhinin, general director of the Russian Rugby Union, at a meeting of the high council on 31 May 2019, said that Russia would apply to hold the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Russia would use the 2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.[11] The legacy of the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be used to the maximum.[12]

President Vladimir Putin has backed a bid from Russia to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup.[13]

Moscow		Saint Petersburg	Sochi
Luzhniki Stadium	Spartak Stadium	Krestovsky Stadium	Fisht Olympic Stadium
Capacity: 81,000	Capacity: 44,307	Capacity: 64,468	Capacity: 47,659
Volgograd	Moscow Saint Petersburg Kaliningrad Nizhny Novgorod Kazan Krasnodar Samara Volgograd Saransk Sochi Rostov-on-Don Yekaterinburg Krasnoyarsk (not on map)		Kazan
Volgograd Arena			Kazan Arena
Capacity: 45,568			Capacity: 45,379
Rostov-on-Don			Samara
Rostov Arena			Cosmos Arena
Capacity: 45,000			Capacity: 44,918
Nizhny Novgorod			Saransk
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium			Mordovia Arena
Capacity: 44,899			Capacity: 44,442
Kaliningrad	Krasnodar	Yekaterinburg	Krasnoyarsk
Kaliningrad Stadium	Krasnodar Stadium	Central Stadium	Central Stadium[note 1]
Capacity: 35,212	Capacity: 35,074	Capacity: 35,061	Capacity: 15,000

Argentina had announced on 5 October 2016 that Argentina would bid for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but withdrew its bid in April 2020. Argentina has never hosted the tournament before, and World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont had pledged that he would back the right of countries such as Argentina to bid for the event.[14] Argentina is the only country to reach the World Cup semi-finals that has not hosted any World Cup matches.[15] In April 2020, Argentina withdrew its bid to strengthen the Australian bid, making Australia favourites for the 2027 Rugby World Cup host.[16][17]