England, Canada, New Zealand, and France have secured their spots in the top tier for the draw of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. The draw will take place on Thursday and can be watched live on BBC’s The One Show at 19:00 (GMT+1). It will also be streamed globally, including in the UK, on RugbyPass TV at 19:20 (GMT+1).
After winning the WXV 1 title for the second consecutive time, England will enter the draw as the highest-rated team in rugby history, both men’s and women’s. They achieved this status by defeating Canada 21-12 at BC Place in Vancouver on Saturday. With a rating of 97.56 points, they now hold the highest score since the World Rugby Rankings were established in October 2003.
Canada, the hosts of WXV 1, are ranked second, trailing by 8.25 points. New Zealand remains third, while France, who lost to the Black Ferns 39-14 in the final round of WXV 1, is in fourth place.
Australia, the newly crowned WXV 2 champions, lead band two as the fifth seeds. They are joined by Ireland, Scotland, and Italy. The Wallaroos moved up after defeating Scotland, last year’s champions, 31-22 in the title match in Cape Town.
Italy climbed into band two after winning 23-19 against South Africa, pushing the USA down to the bottom of WXV 1 after three consecutive losses.
The USA, ranked ninth, will be placed in band three along with Wales, Japan, and South Africa.
Spain, the winners of WXV 3 2024, top band four alongside runners-up Samoa, Fiji, and the lowest-ranked team in the draw, Brazil.
The top four teams will be allocated to band one and assigned to the first position in each pool. The remaining 12 teams will be drawn into bands two, three, and four based on their rankings.
Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Draw Bands (Ranking in Brackets)
Band 1: England (1), Canada (2), New Zealand (3), France (4)
Band 2: Australia (5), Ireland (6), Scotland (7), Italy (8)
Band 3: USA (9), Wales (10), Japan (11), South Africa (12)
Band 4: Spain (13), Samoa (15), Fiji (17), Brazil (42)
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