Rugby World Cup 2021 is the ninth edition of the tournament and the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere after New Zealand were awarded hosting rights by World Rugby in November of last year.World Rugby Sir Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “We are committed to accelerating the development of the women’s game at international level. Last year we announced significant remodelling of the Rugby World Cup format to ensure that the competition continues to be as competitive as possible, while also continuing to engage fans worldwide.World Rugby announced a progressive remodelling of Rugby World Cup format ahead of 2021 to boost team and fan experience alike which included:

  • A revised match schedule guaranteeing longer rest periods which will greatly benefit player welfare
  • The addition of the quarter-final stage to allow teams a further opportunity to play for a higher position
  • With the longer rest periods and additional play-off stage, the total tournament window will increase from 23 to 35 days
  • Furthering World Rugby’s commitment to prioritising player welfare by increasing tournament squad sizes from 28 to 30 players

Women's Rugby World Cup 2021

Rugby World Cup 2017 was a record-breaker on many levels, furthering the reach, engagement and profile of the women’s game. It recorded a total of 45 million video views and had a total reach of more than 70 million throughout the five match days.

More than 750,000 fans from 230 countries and territories also visited the official website www.rwcwomens.com, attracting 58 per cent of new fans, setting new records for engagement of the multi-language content for a women’s Rugby World Cup.