Rugby World Cup (women's) qualifying

The Rugby World Cup qualification process determines the nations that will participate at the Rugby World Cup.

History

The first three World Cups did not have any qualifying process. All the teams that attended were invited to participate. The 2002 Women's Rugby World Cup had the first and only qualification match, it was between Hong Kong and Japan, with the latter qualifying. The rest of the teams were invited to the tournament.

The 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup qualification was identical to the previous tournament as they only had one qualifying tournament in Asia. Kazakhstan qualified, although it was not their first appearance. In 2008, the Rugby World Cup Limited Board chairman, Bernard Lapasset announced a global qualification process for the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup.[1] However, not all member unions of the International Rugby Board were given an opportunity to qualify.

The 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup qualification had six teams that qualified automatically and six teams that qualified via regional tournaments. Africa had its first regional qualification.[2]

The introduction of the repechage tournament in the 2017 World Cup qualifiers gave Hong Kong their first World Cup appearance. Seven teams automatically qualified for the tournament, England, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand, USA and Australia.[3] The remaining five spots were determined through regional tournaments.[4][5]

Qualification competition entrants over time
Number of teams entering qualification (including automatic qualifiers)
Continental zone 1991
Wales		 1994
Scotland		 1998
Netherlands		 2002
Spain		 2006
Canada		 2010
England		 2014
France		 2017
Republic of Ireland		 2021
New Zealand
Total World Cup spots 12 12 16 16 12 12 12 12 12
Africa 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 4
Americas 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 4
Asia 1 2 1 2 4 4 7 2 7
Oceania 1 0 2 3 3 3 2 4 6
Europe 8 8 12 10 5 8 12 12 9
Total entrants 12 12 16 17 15 18 26 20 30

References
  1. "England awarded women's Rugby World Cup". www.insidethegames.biz. 23 August 2009. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  2. "Road to Women's Rugby World Cup 2014 Set for Kick Off". YSCRugby | Women's Rugby News. 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  3. "Women's Rugby World Cup Pool Draw Live From Belfast". Leinster Rugby. 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  4. "Women's Rugby World Cup pool draw live from Belfast". Ulster Rugby. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  5. Sero, Nick (2016-05-12). "2017 Women's Rugby World Cup logo revealed, key dates announced". USA Rugby. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
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