Canada men to open Rugby World Cup qualifying against U.S. in Calgary in August
Canada will take the first step towards the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup with a game against the U.S. on Aug. 22 in Calgary to open the Pacific Nations Cup.
The Canadian men are currently ranked 24th in the world, compared to No. 15 for the U.S. Eagles.
The six-team Pacific Nations Cup, which also features No. 9 Fiji, No. 13 Japan, No. 14 Samoa and No. 19 Tonga, will send three sides to the 2027 World Cup in Australia. But given Fiji and Japan have already qualified by virtue of their performance at the 2023 tournament, a top-five finish would do it for Canada if Fiji and Japan finish above it.
Canada will play Japan in Sendai on Aug. 30.
The Pacific Nations Cup semifinals and fifth-versus-sixth game are scheduled for Sept. 14 in Denver with the championship and third-place game set for Sept. 20 in Salt Lake City.
The 2027 World Cup features an expanded 24-team field, up from 20 last year in France.
The game at McMahon Stadium will be the Canadian men's third match in Alberta this summer following two in Edmonton in July against No. 22 Belgium and No. 16 Spain. Those games will mark the debut of Australian coach Steve Meehan.
Canada lost 28-15 to the U.S. the last time they met, at the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup in Los Angeles last August.
Should Canada fail to qualify via the Pacific Nations Cup, it will still have two more chances to make the World Cup field, via a playoff with the 2025 Sudamerica Rugby Championship runner-up and, finally, a four-team repechage tournament.
Canada failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, the first time it has missed the sport's showcase, after losing two-legged qualifying series to the U.S. (59-50 on aggregate) and Chile (54-46).
Defending champion South Africa, France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan have already qualified for the '27 World Cup by virtue of finishing top three in their pool last year in France.
In addition to the three teams from the Pacific Nations Cup, other qualifiers will come from the top four teams from the 2025 Rugby Europe Championship, the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup champion, the 2025 Asia Rugby Championship winner and the 2025 Sudamerica Rugby Championship winner.
Another qualifier will come from a playoff between the 2025 South American runner-up and the bottom team from the Pacific Nations Cup (not including Fiji and Japan).
The final entry will be determined via a four-team round-robin final qualification tournament featuring the third-place team from the 2025 Sudamerica Rugby Championship, the South America/Pacific playoff loser, the fifth-place team from the 2025 Rugby Europe Championship and the winner of a playoff between the runners-up from the 2025 Rugby Africa and Asia Rugby championships.
The 2023 World Cup was the first to feature three South American teams in No. 5 Argentina, No. 17 Uruguay and No. 23 Chile. The region now has its own direct qualifier spot rather than competing with Canada and the U.S. for the Americas 1 and 2 spots.
The new World Cup format feature six pools of four teams, with a round of 16 added before the quarterfinals. World Rugby says that means the tournament will be shortened from seven to six weeks.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025
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