All Blacks to open World Cup against Chile
- editor59343
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
The All Blacks will start their 2027 Rugby World Cup campaign with a Pool A match against Chile in Perth, Saturday 2 October.
The All Blacks then face the hosts the Wallabies in Sydney the following Saturday, with a final pool game against Hong Kong China in Melbourne, Friday 15 October.
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The All Blacks have never played tests against Chile or Hong Kong China.
In releasing the schedule, tournament organisers resisted the temptation to open the tournament with a clash between Bledisloe Cup rivals New Zealand and Australia, with the Wallabies kicking off the tournament against Hong Kong China in Perth on Friday 1 October.
The defending champion Springboks begin their World Cup against Italy in Adelaide on Sunday 3 October, before games against Georgia in Brisbane and Romania in Perth.
The Springboks, in Pool B, will be looking for an unprecedented third World Cup win in a row.
The draw also sets up a probable quarter-final between the All Blacks and Springboks.
Other major team match ups have Ireland and Scotland in Pool D, while England and Wales are both in Pool F.
The tournament will be the first in an expanded format, featuring six pools of four teams. The top two teams from each pool plus the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the knockout phase.
Australia will host the World Cup for the second time, after the 2003 edition in which the Wallabies went in as defending champions only to lose to England in the final.
To date, it is the only time a northern hemisphere side has won the World Cup.
The World Cup will take place in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Townsville and Newcastle. Sydney's Stadium Australia will host the final.
All Blacks pool matches at 2027 Rugby World Cup:
Vs Chile - Perth - 2 October 2027 - 6:15pm NZT
Vs Australia - Sydney - 9 October 2027 - 7:10pm NZT
Vs Hong Kong China - 15 October 2027 - 7:15 NZT
Other World Cup Match schedule notes:
24 teams, 52 matches, 19 match days, 7 cities and 8 venues
Opening match: Australia v Hong Kong China - 1 October, 2027, Perth Stadium
Final: 13 November, Stadium Australia, Sydney
Super Sunday (17 October): five matches played in a single day for the first time: Italy v Georgia, Ireland v Uruguay, Scotland v Portugal, France v Samoa, South Africa v Romania.
Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney will host the first-ever round of 16, followed by quarter-finals in Brisbane and Sydney, and then the semi-finals, bronze final, and the RWC Final at Stadium Australia on Saturday 13 November.
