World Rugby announces new Nations League format and 24-team World Cup
NEW NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: A view of the match balls ahead of an Ireland game. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
The World Rugby Council has approved a new aligned international calendar, expanded 24-team men’s World Cup and a top division of 12 teams in a Nations League concept from 2026 in a controversial major reform of the sport.
It is understood that the vote was only narrowly passed with concerns over the fact that the new biannual tournament will have promotion and relegation only from 2030, with critics fearing a preservation of the status quo in a sport that has struggled to provide meaningful opportunities to smaller unions.
The vote has come at a time when Portugal showcased the promise of “tier two” sides at the current World Cup in France, with the likes of Uruguay and Chile also underlining prospects for the future.
World Rugby say the changes will allow those nations greater access to play elite opposition, but there has been criticism that the initial “closed shop” Nations League will hinder this.
There will also be a first ever dedicated international release window in the women’s game from 2026, with a review of the global calendar and competition structures promised in the future.
World Rugby’s chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont, said: “It is fitting that we finish Rugby World Cup 2023, the sport’s greatest celebration of togetherness, with the sport’s greatest feat of togetherness. Agreement on the men’s and women’s global calendars and their content is the most significant development in the sport since the game went professional.
Beaumont, who called the new calendar “a historic moment for our sport that sets us up collectively for success,” added: “We now look forward to an exciting new era for our sport commencing in 2026.
"An era that will bring certainty and opportunity for all. An era that will support the many, not the few, and an era that will supercharge the development of the sport beyond its traditional and often self-imposed boundaries.”
