Fixtures confirmed for second edition of WXV

World Rugby has today unveiled the pools and action-packed match schedule for WXV, the highly anticipated return of the women’s 15s competition which promises thrilling encounters across all three levels in Vancouver, South Africa and Dubai.

The USA Women's Eagles face England, France, and Ireland in their first appearance at WXV 1 in British Columbia.

Kicking off on Friday, 27 September and scheduled to run across three weekends through to Saturday, 12 October, the three-level tournament will see 27 fixtures played across the globe. Dubai (WXV 3) and South Africa (WXV 2) are returning hosts having each welcomed six teams in 2023 with Canada the new host of WXV 1 in 2024.

There will be a combination of standalone, double and triple header fixtures across the match weekends, maximising fan attendance and helping to create an exciting atmosphere in each of the host cities.

No stranger to hosting international rugby, BC Place in Vancouver will open proceedings with a triple header treating fans to a jam-packed day of rugby action that kicks off with USA against England and hosts Canada facing France. Ireland will be aiming to make their mark on WXV 1 having leapfrogged from winning WXV 3 to the top level of the tournament after finishing third in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations earlier this year. They will hit the ground running as they face New Zealand on the opening day.

World Rugby Pacific Four Series 2024 champions Canada will be hoping to continue to draw on their home advantage across the three weekends as they build towards the final day when they will face reigning WXV 1 champions England.

Sally Horrox, World Rugby Chief of Women's Rugby, said: “We are delighted to reveal the fixtures for what is set to be an incredibly exciting and important second edition of WXV.

“With six Women’s Rugby World Cup places up for grabs, teams will be vying to secure qualification by ranking as highly as possible at the end of the tournament. No doubt, there will be some exhilarating matches, some new match ups and star players that will captivate fans around the world. “We look forward to welcoming 18 of the top teams to Dubai, Cape Town and Vancouver in September, WXV is the next important milestone on the road to the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England."

WXV pools for each level have also been confirmed following World Rugby Women’s Rankings as of Monday, 8 July, 2024. For WXV 1, the pools are based on positioning of teams from regional qualifiers, the Guinness Women’s Six Nations and World Rugby Pacific Four Series 2024, respectively.

Following its launch in October 2023, WXV remains central to World Rugby’s ambition to increase the profile and participation of the women’s game and accelerate its growth around the world. WXV provides more competitive matches for unions, greater visibility and investment on the road to an expanded 16-team Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.

WXV is supported by partners Mastercard, Capgemini, Gallagher, Mitsubishi Electric and ChildFund Rugby, with World Rugby also injecting multi-million pound investment over an initial two-year period on the road to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.