The next tournament will be held in France and the hosts will face New Zealand in a blockbuster opening match in Saint-Denis.
The finals work the same way as
the 2019 tournament with the first two teams in each pool progressing to the quarter-finals, which will be contested by knock-out matches.
If we suppose the top-ranked teams each win their pools and the second-ranked teams finish runners-up then the quarter-finals in 2023 could look something like this…
- Wales vs Japan
- South Africa vs France
- England vs Australia
- New Zealand vs Ireland
POOL A
- New Zealand
- France
- Italy
- Uruguay
- Africa 1
Antoine Dupont of France calls for the mark during the Six Nations Championship match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on March 13 2021. - PHOTO: Micah Crook/PPAUK
POOL B
- South Africa
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Asia/Pacific 1
- Spain
POOL C
- Wales
- Australia
- Fiji
- Georgia
- Final qualifier winner
POOL D
- England
- Japan
- Argentina
- Samoa
- Americas 2
Marcus Smith of England and Alex Dombrandt of England during the Autumn Nations Match between England and South Africa at Twickenham Stadium on 20 November 2021. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
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