Rugby World Cup To Remain At 20 Teams
The International Rugby Board has abandoned plans to reduce the number of nations participating in the 2011 World Cup and confirmed that the tournament will continue to comprise of 20 teams.
The decision was taken at an IRB Special Meeting of Council following a recommendation to the Council from the Rugby World Cup Limited Board and mirrors the number of teams that played in the last three tournaments.
The strong performance of many of the smaller rugby playing nations at this year’s World Cup had led to heavy criticism of any proposals to reduce the size of the tournament to 16 teams and consequently exclude these countries.
Dr Syd Millar, the outgoing IRB and RWC Limited chairman said: ‘Prior to RWC 2007 the IRB stated that it would review the number of participating teams for future Rugby World Cups. The reason for this review was to ensure that the tournament remains competitive and commercially attractive, that player welfare concerns are addressed and it continues to be the major promotional and financial vehicle for the continued expansion of the game.
‘The IRB is committed to developing the Game and achieving specific goals within the strategic plan which include increasing the number and competitiveness of Unions at the top level and maximising the profile, profitability and value of Rugby World Cup.
‘The developing nations at Rugby World Cup 2007 have produced significantly enhanced performances since RWC 2003. This is a direct result of the global £30m IRB strategic investment programme that was established in 2005.
‘Based on this plus the likelihood that surplus revenue from Rugby World Cup 2007 will provide further funds for future investment in developing nations, the Council had no hesitation in approving the recommendation from the RWCL Board that 20 teams participate at the 2011 tournament.’
The playing window for RWC 2011 in New Zealand is September-October 2011 with the final taking place on the weekend of 22nd-23rd October, 2011.
The RWC 2011 qualification structure is presently being reviewed but it has already been announced that the number of automatic qualifiers will increase from 8 to 12 places. Therefore, South Africa, England, Argentina, France, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Fiji, Wales, Ireland, Tonga and Italy have automatically qualified for RWC 2011 as the top three teams in their respective RWC 2007 pools.
The qualification system for the remaining 8 places is currently being reviewed with regional qualification starting in 2008.
