2027 Rugby World Cup: One year before kickoff, Africa will have only two representatives

With one year to go before kickoff, the 2027 Rugby World Cup promises to be the largest in history: 24 teams divided into six pools of four, 52 matches, from October 1 to November 13, 2027, in Australia. The African continent will have only two representatives: South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The Springboks in Pool B, Zimbabwe to face England

South Africa, four-time world champions, has been placed in Pool B with Italy, Georgia, and Romania: for the third consecutive edition, the Springboks will only face European nations in the group stage, notes World Rugby. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, has been drawn into Pool F with England, Wales, and Tonga, three opponents they have never met before in a World Cup.

The Sables secured their ticket on July 19, 2025, by beating Namibia 30-28 in the Rugby Africa Cup final, ending a 34-year wait: Zimbabwe had not played in a World Cup since 1991, following their first appearance in 1987, according to Americas Rugby News.

Namibia absent for the first time since 1999

This qualification has a downside. Beaten by Zimbabwe in the race for the "Africa 1" spot, Namibia failed in the final qualification tournament, where they lost to Belgium and Samoa, reported Americas Rugby News on November 13, 2025. The Welwitschias, who have been present at every World Cup since 1999, will therefore miss the 2027 edition: an absence that deprives the continent of one of its few teams experienced at the highest level.

African rugby also remains very unevenly structured: apart from South Africa, no federation on the continent has a professional championship comparable to those in Europe or the Southern Hemisphere, which makes every World Cup qualification all the more precious.

A tournament with 2.5 million tickets

On the organizers' side, the signs are positive: more than 750,000 tickets have already been sold in pre-sale across 135 countries, out of 2.5 million available, with expected revenues of around 100 million Australian dollars, according to figures cited by The Namibian. Seven cities will host the matches: Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Townsville, and Newcastle.

"It's going to be a party like nothing on Earth," promised Brett Robinson, Chairman of World Rugby. For Africa, the celebration will have two faces: that of the Springboks in search of a fifth title, and that of a Zimbabwe team coming back from a long way away.