The Women’s Rugby World Cup is the flagship international tournament in the women’s 15-a-side game, contested every four years by 16 of the strongest nations on earth. England are the reigning champions, having beaten Canada 33–13 in front of a world-record crowd in September 2025. This guide sets out what happened at that tournament, the full results of every edition since 1991, how the fixtures and format work, the standout records and highlights, and what comes next when Australia hosts in 2029.
Key Facts
- First held: 1991 (Cardiff, Wales)
- Held every: four years (16 teams)
- Reigning champions: England (2025)
- Most titles: New Zealand — 6
- 2025 final: England 33–13 Canada, Twickenham, London
- 2025 final crowd: 81,885 — a world record for a women’s rugby match
- Record try-scorer: Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (New Zealand) — 22 tries
- Next edition: Australia, 2029
The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup: what happened
England won the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, beating Canada 33–13 in the final to claim their third world title. It was the most-watched and best-attended edition in the tournament’s history, and it ended New Zealand’s reign as champions.
Where and when was the tournament held?
The 2025 edition was hosted by England from 22 August to 27 September 2025, with matches played across eight cities. It was the fifth time the tournament had been staged in the British Isles. The final took place at Twickenham in London — officially the Allianz Stadium — which drew a crowd of 81,885, a world record for a women’s rugby match and one of the largest attendances ever recorded for a women’s team sport.
How was the tournament structured?
Sixteen teams were drawn into four pools of four, with each pool played as a round-robin. The four pools were:
- Pool A: England, Australia, United States, Samoa
- Pool B: Canada, Scotland, Wales, Fiji
- Pool C: New Zealand, Ireland, Japan, Spain
- Pool D: France, Italy, South Africa, Brazil
Teams earned four points for a win and two for a draw, with bonus points available for scoring four or more tries in a match and for losing by seven points or fewer. The top two sides in each pool advanced to the quarter-finals.
How did the knockout rounds and final unfold?
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final followed the pool stage as straight knockout ties. The biggest shock came in the last four: Canada beat three-time defending champions New Zealand 34–19 to reach their first final since 2014, while hosts England overcame France. In the final, England led 21–8 at half-time and ran out 33–13 winners. New Zealand’s Black Ferns took bronze by winning the third-place play-off, and Canada claimed silver — the best finish in their history.
What were the standout moments of 2025?
Beyond the record crowd, the tournament produced several highlights. New Zealand wing Braxton Sorensen-McGee was the leading try-scorer with 11 tries and also topped the points chart with 69. Canada’s Sophie de Goede was named World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year after driving her side to the final, while England flanker Sadia Kabeya was player of the match in the decider. It was also a farewell stage for New Zealand great Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who extended and then retired on her all-time World Cup try record.
Full results: every Women’s Rugby World Cup
The Women’s Rugby World Cup has been staged ten times since 1991, and only three nations have ever won it: New Zealand, England and the United States. New Zealand’s Black Ferns remain the most successful side with six titles, including four in a row from 1998 to 2010. England’s win in 2025 took them to three, while the United States have one. For a deeper history of the champions and the Black Ferns’ legacy, see the site’s dedicated guide to Women’s Rugby World Cup winners.
Results by Year
| Year | Host | Winner | Runner-up | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Wales | United States | England | 19–6 |
| 1994 | Scotland | England | United States | 38–23 |
| 1998 | Netherlands | New Zealand | United States | 44–12 |
| 2002 | Spain | New Zealand | England | 19–9 |
| 2006 | Canada | New Zealand | England | 25–17 |
| 2010 | England | New Zealand | England | 13–10 |
| 2014 | France | England | Canada | 21–9 |
| 2017 | Ireland | New Zealand | England | 41–32 |
| 2021* | New Zealand | New Zealand | England | 34–31 |
| 2025 | England | England | Canada | 33–13 |
*The 2021 tournament was played in 2022 after a pandemic postponement.
A note on the record books: the first two tournaments, in 1991 and 1994, were organised independently and were only formally recognised by World Rugby (then the IRB) in 2009. They are now counted as official editions. The 1994 event was also moved to Scotland at short notice after the Netherlands withdrew as hosts, and the 2021 tournament was postponed to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic while keeping its original ‘2021’ branding.
How do the format and fixtures work?
The Women’s Rugby World Cup uses a two-phase structure — a group stage followed by knockout rounds — much like the men’s Rugby World Cup. Understanding each phase makes the fixture list easy to follow.
What is the pool stage?
Teams are seeded using the World Rugby women’s rankings and drawn into pools, usually of four. Every team plays each of the others in its pool once, so a 16-team tournament begins with three pool fixtures per side. Results are converted into league points, with bonus points rewarding attacking play and narrow defeats. The pool stage separates the contenders from the developing nations and sets the knockout seedings.
How does the knockout stage work?
The leading teams from the pools progress to a single-elimination bracket: quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final, plus a bronze-medal play-off for the losing semi-finalists. There are no replays — a drawn knockout match would be settled by extra time and, if needed, a kicking competition. The winner of the final lifts the trophy and is crowned world champion for the next four-year cycle.
How do teams qualify?
Qualification is organised region by region. A number of places are filled automatically — for example by the host nation and by the best-placed sides from the previous edition — while the remaining berths are decided through regional qualifying tournaments in Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Africa and Oceania. From the 2026–2028 cycle, World Rugby’s new WXV Global Series provides a structured annual competition that also feeds into the qualification pathway.
Which nations compete?
The 2025 tournament featured 16 teams drawn from six continents, reflecting the global spread of the women’s game. The traditional powers — England, New Zealand, France, Canada and the United States — were joined by Australia, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales, Japan, South Africa, Fiji, Samoa, Spain and, for the first time, Brazil. England, New Zealand and the United States are the only three nations to have reached a final and won it, but Canada’s run to the 2025 final and France’s consistency have made the top of the game markedly more competitive than it was a decade ago.
New Zealand’s success is underpinned by a strong domestic pathway. Emerging players are developed through teams such as the Black Ferns XV before graduating to the full national side, a pipeline that has helped the Black Ferns stay at the summit of the women’s game for most of the tournament’s history.
Records and milestones
The Women’s Rugby World Cup has rewritten its record books repeatedly in recent editions, driven by rising standards and far bigger crowds.
Who is the record try-scorer?
New Zealand wing Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is the all-time leading try-scorer in Women’s Rugby World Cup history. She overtook England’s Sue Day (19 tries, set between 1998 and 2006) during the 2021 tournament, reaching 20, and extended the mark to 22 before retiring after the 2025 edition. Her tally is higher than any player — man or woman — has managed at a Rugby World Cup; the men’s record, held jointly by Jonah Lomu and Bryan Habana, stands at 15.
How big have the crowds become?
Attendances have grown sharply. The 2025 final’s crowd of 81,885 was a world record for a women’s rugby fixture and dwarfed earlier editions, which were often played in modest club grounds. The tournament as a whole set new attendance highs across the pool and knockout stages, a clear sign of the commercial and public momentum behind the women’s game.
What are the current world rankings?
As of 2026, England top the World Rugby women’s rankings, followed by Canada, New Zealand and France, with Ireland completing the top five. The rankings are recalculated after every international, so exact positions shift through the year, but the leading group has been stable since the 2025 World Cup. England’s rating is the highest any women’s side has recorded since the rankings were introduced in October 2003. Only two nations — England and New Zealand — have ever held the number-one position.
Who are the favourites, and when is the next edition?
On current form, England and Canada are the clear front-runners for the next cycle, with New Zealand and France close behind. England’s depth and home-grown professional structure make them the benchmark, while Canada’s charge to the 2025 final showed they can match anyone on the day.
The next Women’s Rugby World Cup will be held in Australia in 2029 — the first time the tournament has been staged there. It follows the men’s Rugby World Cup, which Australia hosts in 2027, giving the country back-to-back global showpieces. Qualification runs through the 2026–2028 WXV Global Series, so the picture of likely contenders will sharpen well before the draw.
Common misconceptions about the tournament
A few errors crop up repeatedly when people discuss the Women’s Rugby World Cup, so they are worth clearing up directly.
- “New Zealand have won the most recent World Cups.” They dominated through 2021, but England are the current champions after winning in 2025; New Zealand did not reach that final.
- “England have two titles.” England now have three — 1994, 2014 and 2025.
- “The 2021 tournament was played in 2021.” It was postponed and played in New Zealand in late 2022, but kept the 2021 name.
- “The next edition is 2025.” That has already happened; the next is Australia 2029.
- “The 1991 tournament was official from the start.” The 1991 and 1994 events were only formally recognised by World Rugby in 2009.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who won the most recent Women’s Rugby World Cup?
England won the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, beating Canada 33–13 in the final at Twickenham on 27 September 2025. It was England’s third title and ended New Zealand’s run as defending champions.
Which country has won the Women’s Rugby World Cup the most times?
New Zealand’s Black Ferns are the most successful side with six titles (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017 and 2021), including four in a row from 1998 to 2010. England have three and the United States one.
How many teams play in the Women’s Rugby World Cup?
Sixteen teams contested the 2025 edition, split into four pools of four. They play a round-robin pool stage before the top two from each pool advance to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Who holds the record for the most tries at the Women’s Rugby World Cup?
New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is the all-time record try-scorer, finishing her career on 22 tries. That total is higher than any player has scored at a Rugby World Cup, men’s or women’s.
When and where is the next Women’s Rugby World Cup?
The next Women’s Rugby World Cup will be held in Australia in 2029, the first time the country has hosted the event. It comes two years after Australia stages the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027.