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Samoa —set to face France, Japan and the USA at Rugby World Cup 2027—could be barred from international competition for four years due to a severe rift between the Samoan government and the national rugby federation, according to a report by Rugby Rama citing the l’Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Despite qualifying for Australia 2027, Samoa risks losing its spot entirely. The crisis erupted when Samoa’s Prime Minister, La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, officially announced a total split between the state and the national rugby union, according to AFP. By stripping the federation of all official recognition, public subsidies, and financial aid, the government has signaled a definitive break.
In response to the state’s abrupt withdrawal, World Rugby broke its silence by issuing a strict 24-hour ultimatum. They have demanded that the Samoan government reverse course and allow an official financial audit to take place.
Failing an agreement, the men’s national team faces an immediate four-year suspension from all international competition—a move that would cancel their participation at Rugby World Cup 2027 and thus see them not facing France, Japan or the USA. Such an outcome would presumably see Belgium taking Samoa’s place.
The head of government has made no secret of his intention to establish an entirely new rugby federation, AFP reports. In his view, the current leadership has failed to resolve deep-seated internal crises. The administration remains plagued by internal divisions and repeated challenges from former players and coaching staff.
 BELGIUM IN WAITING |
Belgium would almost certainly replace Samoa if they were disqualified from Rugby World Cup 2027. In the Final Qualification Tournament held in Dubai, Samoa secured the 24th and final tournament spot by a single table point after a dramatic 13-13 draw against Belgium.
Under World Rugby’s standard regulations, if a qualified team is disqualified before the tournament begins, their place is awarded to the runner-up from that exact qualifying pathway. This makes Belgium the next team in line.
World Rugby has a strict history of elevating the next eligible team during disqualifications, such as when Russia was promoted to Rugby World Cup 2019 in place of Romania. Japan opened their home World Cup against Russia after Romania was disqualified for fielding an ineligible player. Four years later, Romania replaced Spain for Rugby World Cup 2023.
 SAMOA GOVERNING, SPORTING AND ECONOMIC CRISES |
This political fallout follows closely on the heels of another major institutional blow for Samoan rugby. Former Samoa captain Chris Vui was handed a four-year ban by World Rugby after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone.
The positive result stemmed from an out-of-competition test conducted ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which led to Vui’s mysterious mid-tournament departure after appearing against Argentina and Chile. Though Vui vehemently denied intentional doping and filed a series of appeals citing supplement contamination, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) officially upheld the four-year suspension in a detailed ruling.
A further crisis saw board leadership citing a catastrophic lack of commercial sponsorships and severe funding shortages, warning World Rugby that the union was on the absolute brink of total bankruptcy. Crippled by resource cuts and unable to cover the basic operational or logistical costs required to host official home test matches, the union could not stage its vital Rugby World Cup 2027 qualifiers in Apia. Consequently, Samoa faced Chile in Salt Lake City, Utah a week before losing to Los Cóndores in the return leg in Viña del Mar.
This current administrative breakdown mirrors a staggering decline on the pitch for a nation historically revered as international rugby’s ultimate giant killers. Samoa is a two-time Rugby World Cup quarter-finalist and has won more Rugby World Cup matches than any other nation outside the Six Nations or Rugby Championship. The proud Pacific Island side has recently plummeted to a historic low.
