The 10th Rugby World Cup was held in France. from Friday 8 Sep 2023 to Saturday 28 Oct 2023.

The opening match was contested between the hosts and New Zealand on 8 September at the Stade de France, the final also held at the same stadium. In the final, played on October 28, South Africa defeated New Zealand 12 to 11.

Host Selection

The selection of France as hosts was a surprise announcement, after an independent evaluation had recommended South Africa be nominated as hosts. France have previously hosted the event in 1991 and 2007, though this will be the first time that the event will be hosted entirely in France.

Playing Venues

  • Parc OL, Lyon
  • Stade de Nice, Nice
  • Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
  • Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
  • Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
  • Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
  • Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
  • Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Étienne
  • Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Participants

  • The top three teams in each pool from the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan qualified automatically for the 2023 World Cup in France.
  • The defending champions were South Africa.
  • Chile made their first ever appearance at the Rugby World Cup.
  • Russia was banned from competing as a result of their war against Ukraine