🔗 Share this article

As many fans in the UK concentrate on club season-opening fortunes or debate upcoming autumn internationals, the contest for 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifying continues at full pace.

Chile's Historic Accomplishment

Chile secured their back-to-back appearance at the tournament with a sensational playoff victory over Samoa recently, leaving only one place left to be claimed for Australia by 2027. Meanwhile, Paraguay surprised Brazil by twenty points in the opening match of their qualifying series.

The return match takes place on Saturday in the Brazilian city, near São Paulo, while Brazil's squad attempts to follow the women's achievement and secure qualification for the first occasion.

Upcoming Qualification Clash

Regardless of Paraguay manages a surprise aggregate win, or Brazil bounces back after manager their coach's departure, the lineup for November's Dubai qualification tournament will then be finalized. Namibia, Belgium, and the Samoan side have already secured spots for the Middle Eastern competition from November 8th to 18th.

Worldwide Qualification Developments

Many additional nations have also secured their places. The Hong Kong China team achieved maiden World Cup entry after defeating Korea 70-22 in the summer, while the Zimbabwean squad will return to rugby union's premier tournament for the first occasion since 1991 by virtue of claiming victory in the Rugby Africa Cup.

Chile's Growing Reputation

The knock-on effect of Chile's playoff success means that Los Condores will play against Italy for the first time next month during the fall test series, taking the place of Samoa who are obligated to participate in Dubai.

World Rugby's chief executive described Chile an "thrilling and fast-emerging power" in announcing the upcoming fixture in Genoa. As domestic the sport promotional efforts seek larger crowds, rugby in Chile is buoyant. A capacity crowd of over 20,000 saw the qualifying win in the coastal city, and head coach Pablo Lemoine has guided the squad on an improving path since taking over in 2018.

Manager's Notable Career

The 50-year-old ex- Uruguayan forward has been making an impact for decades: signed by Bristol in the late 90s, he famously ran straight through the English defense to score at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

His impact as head coach has been equally powerful: Chile have risen to seventeenth place, their best position. At the previous World Cup in Europe, they were beaten in all matches, conceding 215 points and registering 27, featuring a heavy loss against the English team.

However, they confidently found the positive aspects, and after the 2027 draw in Australia on 3 December, Lemoine can start preparations in earnest. They faced Scotland last year, defeated 52-11 before twenty-four thousand supporters, and while they were defeated across both matches by the Uruguayan side in the initial 2027 playoff, they achieved a narrow away victory in the Uruguayan capital.

Samoa's Qualifying Challenge

The Samoan team, meanwhile, have not missed every Rugby World Cup since 1991, but are presently languishing in sixteenth place in the men's rankings. They were winless in the recent Pacific Nations Cup, resulting in qualifying disappointment versus Chile, and the requirement to face teams like Belgium brings further difficulty for the proud rugby nation.

Tournament Structural Updates

Beyond individual nations' performances, it is worth noting how different the expanded tournament will appear in 2027. For the first occasion, there will be a knockout stage with six pools of four teams instead of four groups of five teams. Group phase risk is much lower because the four best third-place sides will also qualify.

Host Nation and Rankings Implications

The organizers, Australia, are now ranked seventh in the world, which means they would fall short on top seeding and could meet one of the Springboks, New Zealand, the Irish, France, England, or the Pumas in Pool A. They could climb into the highest seeds during a busy November, however: England, the Italian side, Ireland, and France are their fixtures, with a game versus the Japanese team in Tokyo additionally scheduled for October 25th.

Wales, meanwhile, are balanced in twelfth place, with the Japanese side behind, and the implications of dropping to 13th and into pot three are possibly significant.

American Representation and Future Tournaments

Another fresh aspect for the next World Cup is the participation of five nations from the American continent: the Argentine team, Uruguay, the United States, the Canadian team, and the Chilean squad – with either Paraguay or Brazil potentially making it six. From World Rugby's perspective, engagement from the Americas is beneficial, particularly with the 2031 tournament scheduled to be staged by the USA, and the host selection for the 2035 tournament was initiated recently.

Current Priority

First things first, though. The return match of Brazil v Paraguay sets up a four-team Dubai shootout, combined with a potential rankings shake-up across the European nations in the coming month. Regardless of how things pan out, Chile's qualification for a second consecutive World Cup has undoubtedly established them as a resounding success story.