WXV

The WXV is an upcoming women's international rugby union competition that will be held annually, scheduled to be launched in 2023.[1] The competition will consist of three tiers, WXV 1, WXV 2, and WXV 3. Each tier will consist of six teams that will be divided into two pools and will run in a split pool format, where teams only face teams from the other pool.[2]

WXV
SportWomen's rugby union
Instituted2023 (2023)
Number of teams18
RegionsWorldwide (World Rugby)

Background

With the expansion of the 2025 Rugby World Cup from 12 to 16 teams, the test calendar was restructured, with the WXV serving to revolutionise the women's international landscape.[3][4][5] WXV was announced on 16 March 2021 with the inaugural edition intended to begin in September 2022, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was pushed back to 2023 to accommodate the postponed 2021 Rugby World Cup.

World Rugby will be investing £6.4 million in the tournament, and It is expected to be played within an international window from September to October, except for Rugby World Cup years.[1]

Structure

WXV 1

WXV 1 will be a cross-pool competition consisting of the top three teams from both the Six Nations and Pacific Four Series. They will be divided into two pools consisting of teams from the same competition, but will only play opposition in the other pool. From 2026, the bottom ranked side will be relegated to WXV 2.[2][6] England, France and Wales qualified for the inaugural WXV 1 season by finishing in the top three of the 2023 Women's Six Nations Championship.[7]

WXV 2

WXV 2 will also be a cross-pool competition of six teams divided into two pools. Pool A will consist of the 4th placed team from the Six Nations, the winner of a playoff between the 5th placed team in the Six Nations and the Champions of the Rugby Europe Women's Championship, and the champions of the Oceania Rugby Women's Championship. Pool B will consist of the 4th ranked team from the Pacific Four and the respective champions of the Asia Rugby Women's Championship and Rugby Africa Women's Cup. From 2026, the champions will be promoted to WXV 1. The bottom ranked team will be relegated to WXV 3.[2][6] Scotland qualified automatically for the inaugural WXV 2 season by finishing fourth in the 2023 Women's Six Nations Championship, while fifth-placed Italy will face Spain in the playoff for another place in Pool A.[7]

WXV 3

WXV 3 was originally announced as a round-robin tournament consisting of four teams. However, this was revised to also be a six-team cross-pool competition, now consisting of the bottom ranked team in the Six Nations, the loser of a playoff between the 5th placed team in the Six Nations and the champion of the Rugby Europe Women's Championship, the champion of South America, and the runners-up of the respective regional tournaments in Asia, Africa and Oceania. The winner of WXV 3 will be promoted to WXV 2, while the bottom ranked team will compete in a play-off with the best non-competing side in the World Rugby Rankings.[2] Ireland qualified for the inaugural WXV 3 season as the sixth-placed team in the 2023 Women's Six Nations Championship while the loser of the playoff between Italy and Spain will also take part in WXV 3.[7]

References
  1. "New global women's competition WXV "wows" the rugby world". www.women.rugby. 2021-03-19. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  2. "WXV: How does it work?". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  3. "Rugby World Cup 2025 set to break new ground as tournament expands to 16 teams". www.rugbyworldcup.com. 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  4. "Women's Rugby World Cup to be expanded to 16 teams from 2025". Sky Sports. 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  5. "Women's World Cup to Expand from 12 to 16 Teams for RWC 2025". Americas Rugby News. 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  6. "World Rugby confirms Pacific Four Series schedule, the new cross-regional women's 15s tournament". www.world.rugby. 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  7. Grey, Becky (30 April 2023). "Women's Six Nations 2023: Key questions for the future after record-breaking tournament". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
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