World Rugby confirmed the qualification pathway for the expanded men’s Rugby World Cup. The twenty-four-team tournament will debut at the next edition in Australia 2027.
Minus world champions South Africa who qualified automatically through the 2023 edition in France, the African continent has not benefitted from this expansion.
Africa has maintained its singular automatic place that is taken by the winner of the 2025 men’s Rugby Africa Cup. But instead of going directly to the Final Qualification Tournament, the runner-up now has to navigate a longer path through a playoff match against the runner-up from Asia.
Despite Africa being the biggest continental block in the world, Rugby Africa President, Herbert Mensah said he does not believe that the continent is ready for a second automatic place at the Rugby World Cup just yet.
“Africa are the world champions in the Springboks. I believe the rest of Africa is on a trajectory and growth to greatness but I don’t believe it is now. If Namibia is the best team in Africa and it has been to every World Cup since we started World Cups in Africa going [1999], and they have ninety points put on them by New Zealand and they can then put forty points on Burkina Faso. Does that mean Burkina Faso, if you give them the slot, should go to the World Cup?
“A player from Scotland may play 10-15 test matches a year. A player here in Uganda may play just this (the Rugby Africa Cup) as his only test match. I’ve come to Kampala and seen some of the biggest rugby players I’ve seen… they are big boys. Are we going to give them competition for them to be playing regularly?
Mensah was speaking on the Fat Cats Podcast in the days leading up to the confirmation of the new qualification pathway.
Zimbabwe are the current men’s Rugby Africa Cup champions, having clinched the 2024 title at Namboole Stadium in Kampala, Uganda. Should they qualify for the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia after next year’s edition, they will have played at least six test matches; the highest ever by an African team to qualify for the event.
“The point I’m making is, I believe that rugby in Africa needs to continue on this trajectory.
“I believe that you’re going to have, in the next five years, four to six African countries who are now good enough and are within the top thirty (World Rugby ranked) teams. At that point, when WR is looking at a strategic realignment, then we (Rugby Africa) are now talking about an extra place.”
Africa’s ticket to join South Africa at the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia will be punched at the 2025 men’s Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala, Uganda.
