2023 Rugby World Cup Bid

[CharlieP]

Originally Posted by djwizard84

I remember I read somewhere that perhaps from 2019 the RWC will be a 24 team tournament. If it's like that everything could change for any bid.

Not from 2019 - the tender documents specified a 20-team tournament. I'm not sure that it will go up to 24 teams any time soon as it would mean too many "minnows", but on the flip side 16 is now too few and would mean excluding "core" nations:

1987: No South Africa or Samoa
1991: No South Africa or Tonga
1995: No Fiji or USA

Belgium are currently 23rd in the IRB World Rankings and could conceivably qualify for a 24-team competition. On their current showing they'd need to improve a lot to be competitive in it.

[Catmalojin]

The GAA have passed (93-7) a motion to allow the use of Croke Park and any other GAA stadia in the 2023 or 2027 RWC, if either of them are held in Ireland!