Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The Rugby World Cup 2027 Qualifiers involving North America are locked and loaded. World Rugby has combined North America with Oceania to have the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) serve as qualifiers for Australia 2027.
 PROCESS – NORTH AMERICAN RWC 2027 QUALIFIERS |
The 2025 PNC will feature Canada, the USA, Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Both Japan and Fiji will play in the competition despite already having qualified for RWC 2027. Japan were third in their pool at RWC 2023 while Fiji reached the Quarter Finals.
The process is very different to that of South America. In that region Colombia defeated Costa Rica and Venezuela to advance in RWC qualifying. Paraguay subsequently eliminated Colombia. Paraguay, Brazil and Chile all join Uruguay in the South American finals which begin in July and only include teams yet to qualify for RWC 2027.
World Rugby has only included Canada and the USA. That is to say, other Men’s teams from North America (and the Caribbean) have been excluded and cannot qualify for Australia 2027. At the time of publication, Mexico is ranked 40th in the World Rankings, higher than Colombia in 43rd.
Mexico cannot compete for the right to play at the Rugby World Cup in Australia nor can the 47th ranked Cayman Islands. Mexico won a home test match against Jamaica this past weekend while the Cayman Islands recently defeated Guyana.
| POOLS – PACIFIC NATIONS CUP 2025 |
The 2025 PNC will have North and South Pools. Canada and the USA join Japan in Pool A while Fiji, Samoa and Tonga will compete in the Pool B which is an exclusively Oceania Pool. The competition will be played over five weekends from Friday, August 22 to Saturday, September 20.
Canada has home advantage against the USA in Calgary, Alberta first up. It is to be the only RWC 2027 Qualifier to be played in Canada. The USA host Japan in a non-RWC 2027 Qualifier and will host the play-offs in Denver, Colorado and finals in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Samoa’s home match will actually be played in New Zealand. Samoa are to face Fiji at Rotorua on September 06. It is the same day in which the USA play host to Japan in Sacramento, California.
In total there will be eleven matches. World Rugby has allocated the referees who are from eight countries. Luke Pearce (UK) will referee Canada vs USA while Angus Gardner (Australia) will referee Samoa vs Tonga in the first weekend.
Argentina’s Damian Schneider will be the only official from the Americas. He has been allocated the Fifth Place play-off (Pool A3 v Pool B3) in Denver on Sunday, September 14 and the Final in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, September 20.
| FIXTURES – RWC 2027 QUALIFIERS |
FRI, AUGUST 22 
VS
(Calgary, Alberta)
SAT, AUGUST 23 
VS
(Nuku’alofa, Tonga)
SAT, AUGUST 30 
VS (Suva, Fiji)
SAT, AUGUST 30 
VS (Sendai, Japan)
SAT, SEPTEMBER 06 VS (Rotorua, New Zealand)
SAT, SEPTEMBER 06 VS (Sacramento, California)
SUN, SEPTEMBER 14 5th Place Play-Off (Denver, Colorado)
SUN, SEPTEMBER 14 Semi Final 1 (Denver, Colorado)
SUN, SEPTEMBER 14 Semi Final 2 (Denver, Colorado)
SAT, SEPTEMBER 20 Bronze Final (Salt Lake City, Utah)
SAT, SEPTEMBER 20 Final (Salt Lake City, Utah)
