Ready to watch the best of the best in women’s rugby go head-to-head to determine which squad is the world’s best? The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup starts on August 22.
The tournament will feature 16 of the world’s best women’s rugby teams, and most of them will have one specific goal in mind: take down New Zealand! New Zealand has won the last two iterations of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, and they hold a staggering six out of nine titles since the competition began in 1991. Only England has beaten them (twice) since 1998.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, including which national teams qualified and how to watch it in the United States. Don’t forget: You can catch all the action through Paramount+ on DIRECTV!
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When is the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup?
The 2025 Women’s World Cup starts on August 22, 2025 and will run until the championship and bronze final games on September 27.
How to Watch the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in the United States
CBS will be the exclusive broadcaster of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup through its Paramount+ platform. You can access Paramount+ through your DIRECTV subscription by signing up for the DIRECTV Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscription.
Where is the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup Being Held?
The 2025 Women’s World Cup will be held at a variety of venues across England:
- Allianz Stadium – Twickenham
- Stadium of Light – Sunderland
- American Express Stadium – Brighton
- Aston Gate – Bristol
- Sandy Park – Exeter
- Franklin’s Gardens – Northampton
- Salford Community Stadium – Manchester
- York Community Stadium – York
The final will be held at the “Home of Rugby,” Allianz Stadium. Allianz Stadium is the home arena of England’s national rugby team. It was also the site of the 1991- and 2015-Men’s Rugby World Cup finals and some of the NFL’s international games in 2016 and 2017.
How Does the Women’s Rugby World Cup Work?
The Women’s Rugby World Cup is the women’s rugby union’s world championship tournament, organized by World Rugby, the global governing body of the sport. It is held every four years, similar to many other World Cup-style and international sports tournaments.
This year, the Women’s Rugby World Cup will look a little different than in past iterations: There will be 16 teams competing, up from 12.
The first phase of the tournament is known as the Pool Stage. Teams are divided into four groups of four teams each, which play each other in a Round-Robin format to accumulate points. The top two teams from each pool advance to the quarterfinals, while the other eight are eliminated.
The next phase is the Knockout Stage. The top eight teams from the Pool Stage play each other in the quarterfinals, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals, then, eventually, the finals.
Which Teams are in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup?
Here are all 16 teams that have qualified for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, plus their World Rugby rank and how they qualified.
| World Rugby Ranking | Team | Qualification method |
| 1 | England | Hosts + Top Finish 4 at 2021 RWC |
| 2 | Canada | Top Finish 4 at 2021 RWC |
| 3 | New Zealand | Top Finish 4 at 2021 RWC |
| 4 | France | Top Finish 4 at 2021 RWC |
| 5 | Ireland | Europe 1 |
| 6 | Australia | 2024 WXV 2 (1st) |
| 7 | Italy | 2024 WXV 2 (3rd) |
| 8 | Scotland | 2024 WXV 2 (2nd) |
| 9 | Wales | 2024 WXV 2 (5th) |
| 10 | United States | P4 1 |
| 11 | Japan | Asia 1 |
| 12 | South Africa | Africa 1 |
| 13 | Spain | 2024 WXV 3 (1st) |
| 14 | Fiji | Oceania 1 |
| 15 | Samoa | 2024 WXV 3 (2nd) |
| 25 | Brazil | Americas 1 |
2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup Full Schedule
Here’s the full schedule for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup:
Friday, August 22
- Pool A: England vs. USA – 2:30 p.m. – Paramount+
Saturday, August 23
- Pool A: Australia vs. Samoa – 7:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool B: Scotland vs. Wales – 9:45 a.m. – Paramount+ Canada vs. Fiji – 12:30 p.m. – Paramount+
- Pool D: France vs. Italy – 3:15 p.m. – Paramount+
Sunday, August 24
- Pool C: Ireland vs. Japan – 7:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool C: New Zealand vs. Spain – 12:30 p.m. – Paramount+
- Pool D: South Africa vs. Brazil – 9:45 a.m. – Paramount+
Saturday, August 30
- Pool B: Canada vs. Wales – 7:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool B: Scotland vs. Fiji – 9:45 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool A: England vs. Samoa – Noon – Paramount+
- Pool A: USA vs. Australia – 2:30 p.m. – Paramount+
Sunday, August 31
- Pool C: Ireland vs. Spain – 7:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool C: New Zealand vs. Japan – 9:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool D: Italy vs. South Africa – 10:30 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool D: France vs. Brazil – 11:45 a.m. – Paramount+
Saturday, September 6
- Pool B: Canada vs. Scotland – 7:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool B: Wales vs. Fiji – 9:45 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool A: USA vs. Samoa – 8:30 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool A: England vs. Australia – 12 p.m. – Paramount+
Sunday, September 7
- Pool C: Japan vs. Spain – 7:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool C: New Zealand vs. Ireland – 9:45 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool D: Italy vs. Brazil – 9:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Pool D: France vs. South Africa – 11:45 a.m. – Paramount+
Knockout Rounds
Top eight teams compete.
Quarterfinals
- Saturday, September 13 – 8:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Saturday, September 13 – 11:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Sunday, September 14 – 8:00 a.m. – Paramount+
- Sunday, September 14 – 11:00 a.m. – Paramount+
Semifinals
- Friday, September 19 – 2:00 p.m. – Paramount+
- Saturday, September 20 – 10:30 a.m. – Paramount+
Bronze Final
- Saturday, September 27 – 7:30 a.m. – Paramount+
Final
- Saturday, September 27 – 11:00 a.m. – Paramount+
Past Women’s Rugby World Cup Winners
New Zealand is a dominant force in the Women’s Rugby World Cup, having won six out of nine competitions, and only England (2) and the United States have won titles otherwise. Here’s the full list of past Women’s Rugby World Cup winners by year:
- 2021: New Zealand
- 2017: New Zealand
- 2014: England
- 2010: New Zealand
- 2006: New Zealand
- 2002: New Zealand
- 1998: New Zealand
- 1994: England
- 1991: United States
Watch the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup on DIRECTV
Watch the entire 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup on Paramount+ through your DIRECTV subscription. Don’t have DIRECTV yet? Sign up today!
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup?
The Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 will run from August 22, 2025 until September 27.
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