Canada qualifies for men’s Rugby World Cup for first time since 2019
Canada has booked its ticket to the upcoming 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia for the first time since 2019.
The Canadian team is the 21st team to qualify for the expanded 24-team tournament after advancing to the semi-finals of the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup. That tournament grants World Cup berths to the three best non-qualified teams.
It was a Japanese victory over the United States that cemented Canada’s spot at the tournament.
This marks a comeback for the Canadian program, which has competed in every Rugby World Cup between 1987 and 2019. They missed out on the most recent tournament back in 2023 after failing to qualify.
The Canadians were watching that Japan-USA match together at the moment they qualified for the World Cup.
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While the Canadian women’s rugby team ranks second in the world, the men’s squad still has some work to do to get that high in the world rankings. Currently, the Canadian men sit 24th in the world and are looking to turn the tide in their World Cup showings.
Historically, Canada’s men’s team has not had a ton of success at the World Cup. They have advanced to the quarterfinals just once, coming back in 1991. Canada’s most recent appearance in the World Cup, back in 2019, ended in the group stage with one draw and three losses in four matches.
The Canadian women are currently competing at the 2025 women’s Rugby World Cup, where they finished atop their pool with a perfect 3-0 record and are set to take on Australia in the quarterfinals next weekend.
The men’s team will now have to await their pool opponents for the tournament, which will be revealed in December after the Rugby World Cup 2027 draw takes place.
For now, Canada will remain focused on their Pacific Nations Cup semi-final match, which will be against one of Fiji, Tonga, or Samoa. That will take place next weekend in Denver, Colorado.