PARIS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be contested by 20 teams, 12 of which have qualified by finishing in the top three places of their 2019 pool.
These 12 teams are: South Africa, New Zealand, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Australia, Japan, Scotland, Argentina, Fiji and Italy. These teams are seeded based on the men's ranking as of Jan. 1, 2020 and placed into the first three bands.
Eight teams will come through the regional qualification process and are allocated into bands four and five.
Band 4 - Oceania 1, Americas 1, Europe 1, Asia/Pacific 1
Band 5 - Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2, Final Qualifier Winner
Following is the pool stage draw for the 2023 tournament:
POOL A
New Zealand
France
Italy
Americas 1
Africa 1
POOL B
South Africa
Ireland
Scotland
Asia/Pacific 1
Europe 2
POOL C
Wales
Australia
Fiji
Europe 1
Final Qualifier Winner
POOL D
England
Japan
Argentina
Oceania 1
Americas 2