There are currently 20 teams in the men’s Rugby World Cup (rugby union), but this is changing to 24 teams from the 2027 tournament onward.

Quick Scoop: How Many Teams Are in the Rugby World Cup?

Current standard format (recent World Cups)

For the traditional men’s Rugby World Cup in rugby union (the big one held every four years):

  • Recent tournaments (like 2019 and 2023) have featured 20 teams.
  • Those 20 teams are split into 4 pools of 5 , with each team playing every other team in its pool.
  • The top teams from each pool then move on to the knockout stages (quarterfinals, semifinals, final).

So if your question is “how many teams in the Rugby World Cup” in the sense of the modern, recent format, the answer is: 20.

What’s changing for the future?

World Rugby has approved an expansion of the men’s Rugby World Cup to 24 teams starting with the 2027 tournament in Australia.

  • The plan is for 24 teams split into 6 pools of 4.
  • The top two from each pool plus the best third‑placed teams will progress to a Round of 16.

This decision is part of a broader push to grow the game globally and give more emerging nations a shot at the top stage.

Quick note on “Rugby World Cup” vs “Rugby League World Cup”

People sometimes mix up:

  • Rugby World Cup (union) – the famous one with the Webb Ellis Cup, historically 20 teams, moving to 24 in 2027.
  • Rugby League World Cup – a different code with its own tournaments and changing team numbers; for example, the 2026 men’s Rugby League World Cup has been slated to feature 10 teams after a reduction from 16.

If you simply say “Rugby World Cup,” most fans will assume you mean rugby union , where the headline number is 20 teams now, 24 from 2027.

TL;DR:

  • Recent Rugby World Cups (union): 20 teams.
  • From Rugby World Cup 2027 (union): 24 teams.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.