Venues for WXV 2024 announced
World Rugby have announced the venues and confirmed the qualification process for this year’s WXV
Published by John Birch, February 28th, 2024
3 minute read
The qualification process was also confirmed, including the status of the Netherlands v Colombia playoff, and the dates of the competition.
As in 2023, WXV1 will be made up of the top three from the Six Nations and Pacific Fours.
WXV2 will now be made up of the Asian and African champions, the fourth team from the Pacific Fours, fourth and fifth from the Six Nations, and the winner of a playoff between the sixth team in the six nations and the Rugby Europe champions.
The loser of that playoff will play in WXV3 alongside the Oceania champions and runners-up, the runners up in Asia and Africa, and the winner of the Netherlands-Colombia playoff.
This confirms that, other than via that playoff, there is therefore no route into WXV for a South American team – and that if Colombia beat the Netherlands they will take a place in WXV3 regardless of the result of any games that Sud America Rugby might organise.
All three tournaments will also be played at the same time:
Round 1 – Friday, 27 - Sunday, 29 September
Round 2 – Friday, 4 - Sunday, 6 October
Round 3 – Friday, 11 - Sunday, 13 October
World Cup qualification
The tournament will also decide the final qualifiers for next year’s World Cup.
Four places are already confirmed - world champions New Zealand, hosts England, and 2021 semi-finalists Canada and France.
In theory a further six places will come from three of this year’s regional championships (Asia, Oceania, Africa), the winners of a South American play-off, and the winners of two closed tournaments - the Six Nations and Pacific Fours. Any remaining places will come from WXV.
However, in practice what this means that all of the teams in WXV1 and WXV2 will qualify for the World Cup.
As a result the Pacific Fours have already qualified for the World Cup (it is impossible one of them to miss out). The top five from this year’s Six Nations will join them, and the WXV playoff between the sixth team and the European Champions will essentially be a World Cup playoff.
With the Oceania champions and South American playoff winners also guaranteed a place, the final two places at the World Cup will go to the top two teams in WXV3 who have not already qualified.