The pinnacle of the sport of Rugby, the Rugby World Cup, is an international rugby union competition played every four years.

The Rugby World Cup was first held in 1987. The event is organized by the International Rugby Board (IRB), the sport’s governing body, and contested by the men’s national teams that go through qualifying matches to reach the final 20 teams in the finals.

The next men’s Rugby World Cup will be played in Japan in 2019, from 20 September – 2 November.

The next women’s Rugby World Cup will be played in New Zealand in 2021