Perth, Western Australia is set to host the 1st match of an expanded men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027

SYDNEY (AP) – Perth Stadium in Western Australia has been announced as the site of the opening match of the expanded men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027, with the Wallabies playing a team to be determined on Oct. 1 that year.

The six-week tournament will end on Nov. 13, 2027 with the final at Sydney’s Olympic stadium.

Also on Wednesday, tournament officials said Dec. 3 of this year is the date of the draw when all 24 qualified teams in the expanded format will discover their pool stage opponents via a live video link.

The tournament will feature six pools of four teams, with the men’s rankings at the end of the November internationals used to create four bands of six teams, with each band drawn randomly into Pool A, B, C, D, E or F.

The top two teams from each pool plus the four best third-place teams will qualify for the knockout phase, allowing more countries to reach that stage.

The round of 16 will see the winners of Pool A, B, C and D play the four best third-place teams, winners of Pool E and F will face the runners-up from Pool D and B, and the runners-up in Pool A and C will meet the second-place teams from Pool E and F.

The qualification process is nearly complete, with 23 teams now confirmed after Chile defeated Samoa in the South America/Pacific playoff on Sept. 27. The remaining final spot will be determined from Nov. 8-18 in Dubai.

Samoa still has a chance to claim the final place in Australia through the four-team playoff in Dubai. The other teams are Belgium, Namibia and either Brazil or Paraguay.

“Expanding the men’s Rugby World Cup to 24 teams is a landmark moment for our sport,” said World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson. “It means more nations, more matches, and more opportunities for fans around the world to connect with rugby.”