Men’s Rugby World Cup ‘mouthwatering fixtures’

Article posted by Coliseum, February 18^th, 2026

Image: World Rugby

The match schedule and ticket prices for the Men’s Rugby World Cup Australia 2027 have been revealed confirming dates, venues and the kickoff times for all the 52 tournament matches.

‘WORLD RUGBY’ stated that the fans and teams can now start planning their Rugby World Cup journey to Australia with first tickets available from February 18^th for the registered fans in the exclusive presale.

The 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the 11^th edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for the Men’s rugby union teams. It is scheduled to take place in Australia from October 1^st-November 13^th, 2027. It will be the first tournament to be branded as the Men’s Rugby World Cup, a change that was announced in October 2023 to promote gender parity. It will also be the first to host 24 teams.

Dublin (Ireland)-based the World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. The World Rugby organizes the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport’s most recognized and most profitable competition.

‘WORLD RUGBY’ further stated that to mark the moment the Rugby World Cup winner and the former Wallaby (Australia national Men’s rugby union team) captain John Eales together with Australia’s Joseph Suaalii took the Webb Ellis Cup (the prestigious trophy awarded to the winners of the Men’s Rugby World Cup held every four years) to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (Australia). They were joined by 24 young people from the local rugby communities representing the 24 teams involved in the tournament.

A new era for rugby’s biggest stage

The 11^th edition of the Men’s Rugby World Cup is the first under the expanded 24-team format delivering more matches, more drama and more opportunities for the fans to experience the pinnacle of the sport. With seven consecutive weekends of rugby passion the schedule has been designed to maximize the attendance and the global impact while prioritizing player welfare and fan experience.

The Men’s Rugby World Cup Australia 2027 will launch with a landmark moment in Perth|Boorloo (the Noongar [aboriginal] name for the City of Perth, Western Australia) on October 1^st as Australia face the Rugby World Cup debutants Hong Kong China in the opening match of the tournament, a powerful symbol of rugby’s expanding global footprint with more nations earning place to compete on the sport’s biggest stage.

Meanwhile, the reigning champions South Africa will launch their Rugby World Cup campaign in Adelaide|Tarntanya (the traditional Kaurna name for the land where the City of Adelaide, South Australia, is situated) on October 3^rd taking on Italy as they pursue a historic third consecutive title. The 53,500-capacity Adelaide Oval in Adelaide will also mark Zimbabwe’s first Rugby World Cup appearance since 1991 as they face Wales the previous day.

Played across 19 matchdays the schedule deliberately clusters matches on weekends to maximize attendance and bring the local communities together for an unforgettable celebration of rugby with only two Monday across the tournament’s six weeks – one coinciding with a public holiday in Australia.

Two matches staged in the same City over the same weekend will take place across all seven vibrant Host Cities including Newcastle|Awabakal-Worimi (the traditional custodians of the land and waters covering the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Port Stephens regions of New South Wales, Australia) and Townsville|Gurambilbarra (the traditional Wulgurukaba name for Townsville) creating an international festival atmosphere with the fans from up to four nations sharing the experience. The pool phase will conclude in a historic Super Sunday on October 17^th featuring five Rugby World Cup matches played in a single day, a first in tournament history and a showcase of rugby passion at its peak.

The Wulgurukaba people are the traditional owners of the Townsville region in North Queensland, Australia.

Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney will remain at the heart of the action as they host the first-ever Round of 16 giving the pool winners and the runners-up certainty over their knockout locations. The four best third-placed teams will also progress with the opponents determined by their pool of origin.

The Brisbane Stadium (a planned 63,000-seat multipurpose stadium) and the 83,000-capacity Stadium Australia in Sydney|Wangal (aboriginal Australian clan) will then take centre stage for back-to-back quarter-finals on October 30^th and October 31st before the eyes of the rugby world turn fully to Sydney for the Semi-Finals, the Bronze Final and the ultimate climax: The Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 Final to be played on November 13^th, 2027.

A schedule designed with the teams and the fans in mind

The calendar has been designed with balanced travel logistics to ensure fairness and high-quality performance across all 24 teams including a minimum of five rest days between the matches. The kickoff times have been chosen to suit the local conditions including later starts in warmer Cities such as Townsville and Brisbane while enabling the widest possible global audience to follow their teams across different time zones.

Behind the scenes this schedule is the result of a rigorous technical analysis of the venues – from average temperatures and capacities to transport and security – combined with collaborative planning across competition management, team services, broadcast, medical, ticketing, and the wider stakeholders.

Record demand signals a Rugby World Cup like no other

The demand for tickets is already running high with hundreds of thousands of fans already registered for the presale that starts on February 18^th at 12:00 AEDT (GMT+11) and closes on March 4^th at 12:00 AEDT. This follows the incredible success of the Superfan Passes which sold out in under an hour last July showing the excitement building for the Rugby World Cup 2027.

Remarked Brett Robinson, World Rugby Chair, “The wait is over. This is the moment the teams and the fans have been waiting for and the start of their Rugby World Cup 2027 journey. We’ve assembled the most compelling match schedule to date, carefully designed to balance player welfare, fan experience and global reach. From the opening match in Perth|Boorloo to the Final in Sydney|Wangal get ready for six weeks of the greatest brand of rugby as our sport enters a new era of openness and entertainment with Australia 2027.”

Commented Chris Stanley, Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 Managing Director, “It’s an exhilarating time to be a rugby fan. The biggest edition of our sport’s pinnacle competition has taken full shape with mouthwatering fixtures across the pool phase and blockbusters in every round. By clustering the matches on weekends the local communities in our seven vibrant Host Cities will enjoy a festival atmosphere with the tickets available to suit all needs and budgets. The fans have a unique opportunity to be part of this historic edition and are encouraged to register now to access the exclusive Presale on February 18^th.”

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 500+ member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue