World Cup draw to reveal pools for rugby’s biggest tournament

THE draw for the men's 2027 Rugby World Cup takes place in Sydney today at 11am. It will be the biggest Rugby World Cup yet, featuring 24 teams compared to the 20 seen in recent editions.

- 

(AFP)

Here, we look at how the draw works and the teams involved.

The 24 teams will be placed into six pools of four, labelled A to F.

The top two in each pool, plus the four best third-placed teams, will progress to the last-16 knockout round.

For the purposes of the draw, teams are split into four bands of six based on the world rankings. Band 1 comprises South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, France and Argentina. Those six nations will be kept apart in the pool stage.

Each pool will contain one team from each band, with the lowest-ranked sides placed in band 4.

The draw will take place at a TV studio in Sydney and feature former New Zealand World Cup winner Dan Carter and Australia prop James Slipper, who retired this year after his 151st cap.