What's happened
World Rugby has unveiled a new global women’s rugby competition, the WXV Global Series, running from 2026 to 2028. It features 18 teams, including top-ranked nations and Hong Kong, with a new format replacing the previous WXV tournament. The series aims to boost international fixtures and support the sport’s growth.
What's behind the headline?
The announcement of the WXV Global Series signifies a strategic move by World Rugby to elevate women’s rugby to a more professional and sustainable level. By guaranteeing more fixtures and devolving commercial rights to host unions, the series aims to create a more financially stable environment for the sport. This will likely accelerate the development of emerging teams like Hong Kong, which is already preparing through regional competitions. The inclusion of top-ranked nations ensures high-quality competition, while the tiered format provides opportunities for lower-ranked teams to improve and qualify for future World Cups. The timing, shortly after the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, indicates a clear intent to capitalize on recent momentum and further embed women’s rugby into the global sports landscape. The series will also serve as a pathway to the 2029 World Cup, making it a crucial element in the sport’s long-term growth. However, the shift away from traditional amateur structures to semi-professional and professional models will pose challenges for unions with limited resources, potentially widening disparities between established and emerging rugby nations. Overall, this initiative will likely reshape the competitive landscape and increase the visibility and viability of women’s rugby worldwide.
What the papers say
The Scotsman highlights Scotland’s ongoing contract disputes and the strategic focus on youth development, emphasizing the importance of building for future World Cups. The Japan Times and South China Morning Post provide detailed insights into the global structure of the new WXV Global Series, emphasizing its role in increasing international fixtures and supporting emerging nations like Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post notes Hong Kong’s upcoming tri-nations matches and the broader impact of the series on global women’s rugby development. These sources collectively underscore the series’ significance in fostering competitive opportunities and financial stability for women’s rugby worldwide.
How we got here
The new WXV Global Series builds on the existing WXV tournament, created to strengthen international women’s rugby between World Cups. It will feature 18 teams in two divisions, with top-tier nations playing home-and-away fixtures and lower-ranked teams competing in a single-location tournament. The series aims to increase the number of international matches and create a sustainable commercial model, with significant investment from World Rugby. This development follows recent changes in the global women’s rugby landscape, including increased focus on professionalism and expanding competitive opportunities for emerging nations.
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Common question
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World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition.
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by