🔗 Share this article

While numerous fans in the UK concentrate on club early-season fortunes or debate upcoming autumn internationals, the contest for 2027 Rugby World Cup qualification rages on unabated.

Chile's Historic Accomplishment

Chile secured their second consecutive spot at the tournament with a stunning qualifying win against Samoa recently, leaving one place left up for grabs for Australia by 2027. At the same time, Paraguay stunned Brazil 39-19 in the first leg of their qualifying series.

The return match takes place this Saturday in Jacareí, close to São Paulo, while Brazil's men's team attempts to follow the women's success and qualify for the first time.

Upcoming Qualifying Clash

Whether Paraguay manages a surprise aggregate win, or Brazil recovers after manager Emiliano Caffera's departure, the lineup for November's Dubai qualification tournament will be confirmed. Namibia, the Belgian squad, and the Samoan side have already secured spots for the Middle Eastern showdown from November 8th to 18th.

Global Qualification Updates

Many other nations have likewise secured their spots. Hong Kong China achieved first-time World Cup entry after defeating Korea 70-22 in the summer, while Zimbabwe will make a comeback to rugby union's most prestigious stage for the first time since 1991 after winning the African championship.

Chile's Rising Profile

The consequence of Chile's playoff success ensures that Los Condores will face Italy for the first occasion in November during the autumn internationals, taking the place of Samoa who must participate in Dubai.

World Rugby's chief executive described Chile an "exciting and rapidly rising power" in confirming the forthcoming match in the Italian city. As local the sport markets seek larger crowds, rugby in Chile is buoyant. A capacity crowd of over 20,000 saw the qualifying win in Viña del Mar, and head coach the national coach has led the squad on an improving path since his appointment in recent years.

Manager's Impressive Legacy

The fifty-year-old former Uruguayan forward has been making an impact for many years: recruited by the English club in the 1990s, he famously broke through the English defensive line to score at the 2003 global tournament.

His impact as head coach has been similarly powerful: Chile have risen to seventeenth place, their best ranking. At the previous World Cup in France, they were beaten in all matches, conceding over two hundred points and registering 27, featuring a 71-0 defeat against the English team.

Nevertheless, they confidently found the positives, and after the tournament draw in Sydney on December 3rd, Lemoine can start preparations in earnest. They faced the Scottish team last year, defeated by a significant margin in front of 24,000 supporters, and while they were beaten across both matches by the Uruguayan side in the initial 2027 playoff, they managed a 21-18 win on the road in Montevideo.

The Samoan Qualifying Challenge

The Samoan team, meanwhile, have participated in all World Cup since 1991, but are presently sitting in 16th place in the men's rankings. They were without a victory in this year's regional tournament, leading to qualifying disappointment against Chile, and the requirement to face nations such as Belgium brings additional difficulty for the rugby-loving country.

Tournament Format Changes

Beyond specific teams' performances, it is worth noting how changed the larger tournament will appear in the next edition. For the first occasion, there will be a round of 16 with six groups of four instead of four pools of five. Pool-stage jeopardy is much lower because the top four third-place teams will additionally advance.

Host Nation and Standings Consequences

The hosts, Australia, are currently ranked seventh in the global rankings, meaning they would miss out on top seeding and could face either the Springboks, New Zealand, Ireland, France, England, or Argentina in their group. They may climb into the top six during a busy November, however: the English team, the Italian side, the Irish squad, and France are their opponents, with a match versus Japan in Tokyo additionally planned for 25 October.

The Welsh team, on the other hand, are teetering in twelfth place, with the Japanese side below, and the consequences of dropping to thirteenth and into the third seeding group are potentially significant.

American Presence and Upcoming Tournaments

Another new dimension for the next World Cup is the presence of five nations from the Americas: the Argentine team, the Uruguayan side, USA, the Canadian team, and Chile – with Paraguay or Brazil potentially becoming the sixth. From World Rugby's perspective, American interest is positive, particularly with the 2031 World Cup set to be hosted by the United States, and the selection process for the 2035 tournament was launched recently.

Immediate Focus

First things first, however. The return match of Brazil versus Paraguay prepares a four-way Dubai shootout, along with a possible standings change throughout the European nations in the coming month. Regardless of how things pan out, Chile's successful qualification for a second Rugby World Cup has already made them as a resounding triumphant example.