WXV will return for its second season this October, with the host locations and dates confirmed for the three tiers of international Women’s competition. England are the reigning champions of WXV1, and will be heading over to Canada to defend their title this coming Autumn.
England got their hands on the inaugural title last year, as they secured impressive wins over Australia, Canada and the Black Ferns for a clean sweep of victories in New Zealand. The Red Roses produced a statement of intent against New Zealand, as they handed the current World Champions a 33-12 defeat in their own back yard of Auckland. The return of WXV comes on the road to the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted across England.
TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN: WXV 2024 (Graphic Below)
Like the first iteration which took place last year, the WXV global competition will once again be broken down into three tiers – WXV1, WXV2 and WXV3. Below we have a run-down of the confirmed locations and qualification brackets, with all the tiers of WXV matches set to take place on the same dates. (Round 1: 27 – 29 September, Round 2: 4 – 6 October and Round 3: 11 – 13 October).
World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox said: “We are delighted to be working with Rugby Canada, the South African Rugby Union and Dubai to host WXV later this year. The tournament plays a fundamental role in helping us to grow women’s rugby and provides more opportunities for players, showcases the game to more fans and inspires more girls to play. Our hosts all share our ambition to take the tournament to the next level and further strengthen the development of the women’s game.
WXV1 – HOSTED IN CANADA
REIGNING CHAMPIONS: ENGLAND
Qualification:
Finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations
Finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in 2024 Pacific Four Series
WXV2 – HOSTED IN SOUTH AFRICA
REIGNING CHAMPIONS: SCOTLAND
Qualification:
2024 Women’s Six Nations 4th and 5th Place
2024 Pacific Four Series’ 4th Place
2024 Rugby Africa Women’s Cup Winner
2024 Asia Rugby Women’s Championship Winner
Winner of Play-Off Match between Women’s Six Nations 6th Placed and Rugby Europe Women’s Championship Winner
WXV3 – HOSTED IN DUBAI, UAE
REIGNING CHAMPIONS: IRELAND
Qualification:
Rugby Africa Women’s Cup Runner-Up
Asia Rugby Women’s Championship Runner-Up
Oceania Women’s Championship Winner and Runner-Up
Winner of Colombia vs Netherlands
Runner-Up of Play-Off Match between Women’s Six Nations 6th Placed and Rugby Europe Women’s Championship Winner
The Road to Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025
Four teams have already booked their place at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, courtesy of reaching the semi-finals of the previous edition, played in New Zealand in 2022. They are world champions New Zealand, Guinness Women’s Six Nations and WXV champions England, as well as Canada and France.
A further six teams will qualify as winners of six regional tournaments in 2024 (Asia Rugby Women’s Championship, Guinness Women’s Six Nations, Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship, Pacific Four Series, Rugby Africa Women’s Cup and Sudamerica play-off).
The final six spots will go to the highest finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through RWC 2021 and the regional tournaments outlined above.