The 2026 edition of WXV represents a total transformation of the international women’s rugby calendar. Following a landmark agreement between World Rugby and 18 national unions, the competition has officially moved to the WXV Global Series format. This new three year cycle, running from 2026 to 2028, is designed to provide high performance certainty and a clear qualification pathway for the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Unlike the previous centralized tournaments, the new model prioritizes home matches for the world’s top teams. This shift allows national unions to grow their local fanbases and retain commercial rights for their home fixtures, fueling the professionalization of the game worldwide.
Tournament Legacy: Past Winners
Before the shift to the Global Series format, WXV operated as a three tier tournament with annual hosts. England and Scotland established themselves as the teams to beat during the inaugural two year cycle. No competition was held in 2025 to accommodate the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.
WXV 1 Champions
- 2023: England (Runner-up: Canada)
- 2024: England (Runner-up: Ireland)
WXV 2 Champions
- 2023: Scotland (Runner-up: Italy)
- 2024: Australia (Runner-up: Scotland)
WXV 3 Champions
- 2023: Ireland (Runner-up: Fiji)
- 2024: Spain (Runner-up: Samoa)
The Global Series Format
The competition is now split into two distinct levels based on the rankings at the conclusion of WXV 2024. These positions are fixed for the 2026 through 2028 cycle to ensure stability for the participating unions.
The top 12 nations compete in cross regional touring matches. Each team will play between four and six Tests annually during a dedicated eight week window in September and October. This model mimics the historic touring traditions of the men’s game but provides a formalized structure that guarantees over 100 international matches across the next three years.
WXV Emerging Nations
For teams ranked 13 through 18, the format remains a centralized tournament. To address financial challenges and support development, World Rugby will fund this single destination event in 2026 and 2028. This tier will serve as the Final Qualification Tournament for the 2029 World Cup, with the winner of the 2028 edition taking the final spot in the global showpiece.
The 2027 season will feature a unique structure. To accommodate the inaugural British and Irish Lions Women’s Tour to New Zealand, the standard Global Series and Emerging Nations divisions will make way for crossover fixtures. This allows unions not involved in the Lions tour to face new opponents and maintain a consistent competitive schedule.
Rankings Analysis: The Fixed 18 and the Bubble
Because the 18 participating unions were locked in based on 2024 rankings, the current World Rugby standings show some interesting gaps.
Russia (Ranked 18th) is currently excluded from the series due to suspension, which allowed Brazil (Ranked 26th) to join the Emerging Nations tier. This makes Brazil the lowest ranked team in the series, while Kazakhstan (Ranked 19th) and Kenya (Ranked 20th) are currently the highest ranked nations sitting on the outside of the 18 team structure. These teams will be looking to break into the next cycle after 2028.
Path to the 2029 Rugby World Cup
The WXV Global Series is the central pillar for qualifying for the 2029 World Cup in Australia. The 16 team tournament will be filled through the following stages:
- Automatic Qualifiers: Australia (hosts) and the 2025 semi finalists (England, Canada, France, New Zealand).
- Regional Pathways (2027): Eight spots decided via regional championships.
- World Rankings (Late 2027): Two spots for the highest ranked teams not yet qualified.
- Final Qualification (2028): The final 16th spot will be awarded to the winner of the 2028 WXV Emerging Nations tournament.
Watch
Viewers in the US can stream every match on Paramount+, Canadian fans can watch on the TSN network and TSN+; while supporters in Australia and New Zealand can follow the action via Stan Sport and Sky Sport Now, respectively, with RugbyPass TV providing live coverage for the rest of the world.
Check the WXV ‘Where to Watch‘ page for other viewing options.
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Schedule & Results
As of March 2026, the global fixture list is still taking shape. While several major unions have announced their marquee home Tests and touring windows, many matches remain to be confirmed as member unions finalize their bilateral agreements.
The current schedule focuses on the September and October Test windows. We will continue to update the table below as additional venues, kickoff times, and match dates are officially released by World Rugby and the participating national unions.
Date | Time (CST/CDT) | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Score | Location |
| 9/12/0206 | 9:00 AM | England | Australia | CorpAcq Stadium, Salford | ||
| 9/19/2026 | 9:00 AM | England | Canada | Sandy Park, Exeter | ||
9/26/2026 | 9:00 AM | England | New Zealand | Twickenham Stadium, London | ||
| 10/10/2026 | Australia | Scotland | ||||
| 10/17/2026 | Australia | Scotland | ||||
| 10/17/2026 | New Zealand | France | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton | |||
| 10/23/2026 | Australia | Scotland | Canberra Stadium, Canberra | |||
| 10/24/2026 | New Zealand | France | Okara Park, Whangārei | |||
| 10/31/2026 | New Zealand | France | Te Kaha, Christchurch |
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