🔗 Share this article

While many supporters in the UK focus on their clubs' season-opening performances or debate upcoming fall test matches, the contest for World Cup 2027 qualifying rages on unabated.

Chile's Remarkable Accomplishment

Chile earned their back-to-back spot at the tournament with a stunning playoff victory against Samoa recently, leaving one remaining spot to be claimed for Australia by 2027. At the same time, the Paraguayan side stunned Brazil 39-19 in the first leg of their qualifying series.

The second leg takes place on Saturday in the Brazilian city, close to São Paulo, while Brazil's men's team attempts to follow their women's achievement and qualify for the first occasion.

Forthcoming Qualification Clash

Regardless of Paraguay completes a shock overall victory, or Brazil recovers following manager their coach's departure, the lineup for November's Dubai qualification tournament will then be finalized. The Namibian team, the Belgian squad, and Samoa have already secured spots for the Dubai-based competition from 8-18 November.

Worldwide Qualification Developments

Several additional nations have also secured their places. The Hong Kong China team sealed first-time qualification after beating Korea 70-22 in the summer, and the Zimbabwean squad will make a comeback to the sport's premier tournament for the first occasion in over three decades after winning the African championship.

Chile's Growing Profile

The consequence of Chile's playoff success means that Los Condores will face Italy for the first occasion in November during the autumn internationals, taking the place of Samoa who are obligated to compete in the Dubai tournament.

World Rugby's chief executive described Chile an "exciting and rapidly rising power" in announcing the upcoming fixture in Genoa. While local rugby promotional efforts aim for increased attendance, rugby in Chile is thriving. A capacity crowd of over 20,000 saw the playoff victory in the coastal city, and manager the national coach has led the team on an upward trajectory since taking over in recent years.

Manager's Impressive Career

The 50-year-old former Uruguay international forward has been influencing the game for decades: signed by the English club in the 1990s, he famously broke through the English defense to touch down at the 2003 global tournament.

His influence as head coach has been similarly powerful: Chile have climbed to 17th, their best position. At the last World Cup in Europe, they were defeated four times, allowing 215 points and registering twenty-seven, featuring a 71-0 defeat against the English team.

Nevertheless, they confidently took the positive aspects, and following the tournament draw in Australia on 3 December, Lemoine can begin planning seriously. They hosted Scotland previously, losing 52-11 in front of 24,000 fans, and while they were defeated across both matches by Uruguay in the initial 2027 playoff, they managed a 21-18 away victory in Montevideo.

Samoa's Qualifying Challenge

The Samoan team, meanwhile, have not missed all Rugby World Cup since 1991, but are currently languishing in sixteenth position in the global rankings. They were without a victory in the recent regional tournament, resulting in playoff misery versus Chile, and the requirement to meet nations such as Belgium brings additional difficulty for the rugby-loving country.

Competition Format Changes

Beyond individual nations' fortunes, it is important to consider how changed the larger competition will look in the next edition. For the first time, there will be a knockout stage with six pools of four instead of four groups of five. Pool-stage risk is much lower because the four best third-placed sides will additionally advance.

Host Nation and Rankings Implications

The hosts, Australia, are currently placed seventh in the world, meaning they would fall short on top seeding and might face one of the Springboks, the All Blacks, the Irish, France, England, or the Pumas in Pool A. They may climb into the top six during a packed autumn schedule, however: the English team, the Italian side, the Irish squad, and France are their fixtures, with a game against the Japanese team in Tokyo additionally scheduled for October 25th.

The Welsh team, on the other hand, are teetering in 12th, with the Japanese side behind, and the consequences of dropping to thirteenth and into pot three are possibly significant.

American Representation and Future Tournaments

An additional fresh aspect for the next World Cup is the participation of five teams from the American continent: the Argentine team, the Uruguayan side, USA, Canada, and Chile – with Paraguay or Brazil potentially making it six. From the governing body's perspective, engagement from the Americas is positive, particularly with the 2031 World Cup scheduled to be hosted by the United States, and the selection process for the 2035 tournament was launched last month.

Immediate Priority

First things first, though. The second installment of Brazil versus Paraguay sets up a four-team Dubai shootout, along with a potential standings change across Europe in November. No matter how things pan out, Chile's qualification for a second Rugby World Cup has undoubtedly made them as a clear success story.