9th addition of Rugby world cup is starting from 20 September which will continue till 2 November. RWC 2019 teams and pools are already announced. Just like the previous five seasons, 20 teams will be battling for the cup. This is the first time a rugby world cup is happening in Asia as japan is the venue for RWC 2019. Twelve different stadiums have been announced for these exciting matches. The tournament has already gained so much hype that getting the ticket seems like the most difficult task in the world right now.
How many teams are playing in RWC 2019?
20 rugby world cup teams are already announced and they are divided into four pools, each pool has 5 teams. After group matches, the top two teams from each pool will qualify for the quarter-finals of RWC 2019.
So this format makes this tournament very competitive as each team will have very limited chances to qualify for the next round.
How did they qualify for RWC 2019?
Top 3 teams from each pool of Rugby world cup 2015 automatically qualified for RWC 2019 which means 12 teams were automatically qualified. Other 8 teams joined in after qualification matches.
Rugby World Cup 2019 Teams
Here are the 20 teams which qualified for the rugby world cup 2019:
1. NEW ZEALAND
With the three world cups to their name, New Zealand is the most successful team in Rugby history. They won 1987, 2011, and 2015 rugby world cups, which is the highest number of world cup wins for any team. They are on hat-trick right now, let’s see what they can do this year.
World Ranking: 1st
2. ARGENTINA
They don’t have any world cup win in their diary but it is a very competitive team for sure. In the last world cup, they reached the semi-final but couldn’t qualify for the final. Same happened in rugby world cup 2007 when they managed to get the 3rd position. They will open their account against France on 21 Sep in this world cup.
World Ranking: 10th
3. AUSTRALIA
After New Zealand, they have the highest number of world cup wins. Australia were the world champions in 1991 and 1999. In 2015, they reached the final and faced New Zealand but couldn’t manage to get the breakthrough. They will play their first match against Fiji on 21 Sep in this world cup.
World Ranking: 6th
4. ENGLAND
England has reached the final three times, 1991, 2003 and 2007 but managed to get only one world cup win in their account, that was the year 2003 when they beat Australia in final. Although they couldn’t get past the pool phase in 2015 rugby world cup they are being considered as one of the favorites this year. They will be laying their first match against Tonga on 22 Sep.
World Ranking: 4th
5. CANADA
They are one of the most unsuccessful teams in rugby as they never get past the pool phase in any previous world cups except 1991 when they managed to reach quarter-finals but couldn’t go further. What can they do this year is yet to be seen. They will open their RWC 2019 account on 26 Sep against Italy.
World Ranking: 21st
6. FIJI
They have been in quarter-finals two times, 1987, and 2007 but they never managed to qualify for the semi-final. They were not able to play rugby world cup 1995. This year, their first match will be on 21 Sep against Australia which is a team with a very good record.
World Ranking: 9th
7. FRANCE
France is another very competitive team for this world cup. If I say they are the most unlucky team, it won’t be wrong because they played three world cup finals 1987, 1999, and 2011 but couldn’t manage to get a breakthrough and become world champions. They will play against Argentina on 21 Sep in this world cup.
World Ranking: 8th
8. GEORGIA
They have played only four rugby world cups so far and this is the fifth time they have qualified for the world cup. They don’t have very much impressive rugby world cup history as they never went far of pool phase. Their first match is against Wales on 23 Sep. Let’s see what they can do this time.
World Ranking: 12th
9. IRELAND
Six out of eight world cups, they have played Quarter Finals but were not able to qualify for Semifinals. In 2007 rugby world cup they finished their journey in the pool phase. They will face Scotland in their first match of RWC 2019 on 22 Sep.
World Ranking: 3rd
10. ITALY
Italy has played all world cup tournaments but they always ended their campaign in pool phase and never managed to qualify for quarter-finals. But here is another world cup so they can prove themselves to the world. They will be facing Namibia on 22 Sep in their first match of RWC 2019.
World Ranking: 14th
11. NAMIBIA
They have played five consecutive rugby world cups so far and ended their campaign in the pool phase in every tournament and never qualified for the quarter-finals. They will be facing Italy in their first match on 22 Sep.
World Ranking: 23rd
12. JAPAN
Japan has been very unlucky in their previous world cups as they never get past the pool phase. But this is the first time Rugby World Cup is going to happen in their home grounds. They will have the benefit of ground and weather conditions and also their support will be enormous. They will open their rugby world cup 2019 account against Russia on 20 Sep. How they perform on their home grounds is yet to be seen.
World Ranking: 11th
13. RUSSIA
Russia has played only one rugby world cup so far, which is 2011 when they played only pool phase and couldn’t manage to go further. This is the second time they have qualified for RWC and that too after so much drama. They will be facing the host, Japan in their first RWC 2019 match on 20 Sep.
World Ranking: 2oth
14. SAMOA
Samoa is yet another Rugby World Cup 2019 Team. Their highest RWC finish is Quarter Finals and that too in 1991 and 1995. Since then, they couldn’t qualify for next round except 1999 when they played QF Playoffs. They will start their RWC 2019 journey against Russia 24 Sep.
World Ranking: 16th
15. SCOTLAND
They have been playing Quarter Finals in almost all world cups except 2011 when they finished their journey in the pool phase. Their highest rugby world cup finish is Semi-Final back in 1991. This year they will play their first match against Ireland on 22 Sep.
World Ranking: 7th
16. SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa is yet another good team in Rugby. They have won two rugby world cups so far, one in 1995 and other in 2007. They survived the pool phase in all of their world cups. They will face New Zealand (defending champions) in their first match on 21 Sep.
World Ranking: 5th
17. URUGUAY
They have played only rugby world cups (1999, 2003 and 2015) out of eight. They never managed to qualify for the next phase in any of their world cup tournaments. Uruguay will be starting their RWC 2019 journey against Fiji on 25 Sep.
World Ranking: 19th
18. USA
USA is also in the rugby world cup 2019 teams list. They don’t have a very impressive track record in rugby world cups as they never managed to get past the pool phase. This year, they will face England in their first game on 26 Sep.
World Ranking: 15th
19. Wales
Although they don’t have any world cup to their name they have emerged as a very strong team in the recent past. Their highest finish was Semi-Finals in 1987 and 2011, where they won the 3rd and 4th place respectively. They will be facing Georgia on 23 Sep in their first match.
World Ranking: 2nd
20. TONGA
They have taken part in 7 world cups so far but they were not lucky enough to clear the pool phase in any year. They have to face England in their very first game of rugby world cup 2019. Let’s see how they perform this year.
World Ranking: 13th
So that was the list of teams participating in 2019 rugby world cup. Who will win this year?
Tell us in the comments…
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