Holders of the Women’s Rugby World Cup title, New Zealand, will face off against Ireland in the upcoming tournament, which is set to take place in England, after both teams were drawn into the same pool.
England’s pool will also include Australia, while Wales and Scotland have been grouped together. Ireland, who missed the last World Cup, boasts the best win ratio against New Zealand of any team globally. The two nations have only met three times, with Ireland winning twice, most recently in the WXV 1 match last month. Ireland also triumphed over New Zealand in the 2014 World Cup pool stage.
Pool C, which includes New Zealand and Ireland, also features Spain and Japan. Spain is making its return to the World Cup after a hiatus since 2017.
Maggie Alphonsi, the 2014 World Cup winner who conducted the draw alongside BBC presenters Gabby Logan and Roman Kemp, remarked to the BBC: “My attention is drawn to Pool C where New Zealand and Ireland are set to clash – the last time Ireland faced New Zealand in a World Cup was in 2014, and they eliminated New Zealand. So, that’s going to be incredibly thrilling.”
In other pools, hosts England are in Pool A with Australia, Samoa, and the USA. Australia will present a significant challenge to England, who have always topped their pool in previous World Cups. Samoa is participating in a World Cup for the first time since 2014.
England recently played against one of their upcoming pool opponents, the USA, in the WXV 1. England secured a 61-21 victory over the USA in the tournament’s opening game, followed by wins against New Zealand and Canada to retain the trophy. England is the favorite to win the World Cup, which kicks off on 22 August, aiming to claim the title for the first time since 2014. The Red Roses, who remain undefeated in 20 consecutive games, reached the finals in 2017 and 2022 but were defeated by New Zealand on both occasions.
England captain Marlie Packer expressed her pride in leading the team on the BBC: “For me personally, it’s a huge honor and privilege [to lead England]. Knowing that every team wants to beat you, you can’t afford to be complacent. You must always push yourself within the squad. Training sessions are all about striving to be the best.”
The home nations, Wales and Scotland, were both drawn into Pool B and will compete against Canada and Fiji. Lastly, Pool D includes Brazil, who will be making their World Cup debut. The newcomers will face France, South Africa, and Italy in the preliminary stage of the competition.
The 2025 tournament, expanded from 12 to 16 teams, will utilize multiple stadiums across the country, culminating in the final at Twickenham. Pre-sales for the first game, third-place playoff, and the final saw over 60,000 tickets sold.
After the pool stage concludes at next year’s tournament, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarter-final stage. The match schedule for the competition will be released on 22 October.
