Women’s Rugby World Cup – all you need to know

The BBC will broadcast every match live from the 22nd of August to 27th of September in England for the 10th edition of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Host nation England have won their last 27 matches and are the favourites to lift the trophy at Twickenham.

On Friday night in Sunderland, they begin their title challenge against the United States.

New Zealand, Canada, France, and Australia, the defending champions, will all relish their chances of preventing England from winning at home.

Scotland, Wales and Ireland will all seek to impress, while global superstar Ilona Maher of the United States will look to leave her mark on the tournament.

BBC Sport has coverage of the tournament across network TV, iPlayer, digital platforms, radio, BBC Sounds and @BBCSport social media channels.

Every game between England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland will be broadcast live on either BBC One or BBC Two, and all other games will be streamed live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app.

Every England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland game will be broadcast live on Radio 5 Live or Sport Extra, along with live text coverage, highlights, and reports from the BBC Sport website and app.

Sara Orchard and Ugo Monye will also be hosting regular editions of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

Fans can also tune in to a special weekly series, Barely Rugby, hosted by comedian Harriet Kemsley and featuring England stars Hannah Botterman and Meg Jones, in addition to regular podcast episodes.

Pool A: England, Australia, United States, Samoa

Pool B: Fiji, Scotland, Wales, and Canada.

Pool C: Spain, Ireland, Japan, and New Zealand.

Pool D: France, Italy, South Africa, Brazil

The top two teams in each pool advance to the knockout stage.

If Pool A’s top seeds prevail, they will face either Scotland or Wales in the quarter-finals.

England’s likely semi-final opponents are France and Canada, who are expected to face them in the other last-four tie. Ireland will aim to make a strong entrance, though.

The quarter-finals are on 13 and 14 September in Exeter and Bristol.

The third-place play-off and the World Cup final both take place on 27 September at Twickenham, with the final kicking off at 16: 00 BST.

Live commentary will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website and app, as well as BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Canada number eight Sophie de Goede, France scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus and New Zealand wing Portia Woodman-Wickliffe all featured in our Global XV to watch out at the World Cup.

Ilona Maher, a social legend, and both.

England full-back Ellie Kildunne won the World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year award, and Wales’ Jasmine Joyce-Butchers also has game-breaking ability.

Eight locations are used for matches:

The final at Twickenham has sold out making it likely to be the biggest ever crowd for a one-off women’s rugby match.

The previous record was set at Twickenham’s 82, 000-seat Allianz Stadium when England defeated France in the 2023 Six Nations.

66, 000 people tuned in to Stade de France’s opening day of the women’s rugby sevens at Paris 2024.

Across the 32-match tournament, which starts on Friday, August 22, 375, 000 of the 470, 000 tickets have already been sold, three times the number sold at the last World Cup in New Zealand.

Numerous supporters have been drawn to recent Red Roses matches. England defeated Ireland and New Zealand at Twickenham last year in front of crowds of 48, 778, and 41-23.

Only three countries have won the nine women’s World Cups that have taken place.

New Zealand have won the tournament a record six times and have beaten England in five of the past six finals.

England has won the trophy twice, once in 1994 and once more recently in 2014.

The inaugural Cardiff tournament was won by the United States.

2021: New Zealand 34-31 England, Eden Park, Auckland*

*Competition was postponed to 2022 due to Covid pandemic.

England won 41-23 at Ravenhill Stadium in 2017;

2014: England 21-9 Canada, Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris

2010: Twickenham Stoop, London, New Zealand 13-10 England

2006: England 25-17, New Zealand at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

2002: New Zealand 19-9 England, Olympic Stadium, Barcelona

1998: New Zealand defeated the USA 44-12 at the Amsterdam National Rugby Centre.

1994: England vs. USA, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh

Friday, August 22

Pool A: England v. USA (19: 30), BBC One’s Stadium of Light, and BBC Radio 5 Live’s (19: 30), Pool B:

Saturday 23 August

Pool A: Salford Community Stadium – iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app (12:00), Pool A: Australia v. Samoa

Pool B: Scotland v. Wales (14:45), BBC One from 14:15, and BBC Radio Sports Extra 2 from 14:35.

Pool B: Canada v Fiji (17: 30), York Community Stadium – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool D: France vs. Italy (20: 15), Sandy Park – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Sunday, August 24.

Pool C: Ireland v Japan (12: 00), Franklin’s Gardens – BBC Two and BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle from 11: 45 plus BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 11: 50

Pool D: South Africa vs. Brazil (15:00), BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app, Franklin’s Gardens – iPlayer, and BBC Sport – iPlayer.

Pool C: Spain vs. New Zealand (17: 30), York Community Stadium iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app

Saturday 30 August

Pool B: Salford Community Stadium, Salford, Salford, BBC Two from 11:45 and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 11:50.

Pool B: Scotland v. Fiji (14:45), BBC Two from 14:15, BBC One, Salford Community Stadium

Pool A: England v Samoa (17: 00), Franklin’s Gardens – BBC Two from 16: 30 and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 16: 55

Pool A: USA v. Australia (19: 30), York Community Stadium iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app

Sunday, August 31

Pool C: Ireland v Spain (12: 00), Franklin’s Gardens – BBC Two and BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle from 11: 45, plus BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 11: 50

Pool C: New Zealand v. Japan at 14:00, Sandy Park – iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app

Pool D: Italy vs. South Africa (15:30), iPlayer, BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app, York Community Stadium.

Saturday, 6 September

Pool B: Canada v. Scotland (12:00), BBC Two from 11:45), Sandy Park

Pool A: USA v Samoa (13: 30), York Community Stadium – iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool B: Wales v. Fiji (14: 45), BBC Two from 14: 15), Sandy Park

England v. Australia at Brighton &amp, Hove Albion Stadium on BBC Two at 17:00.

Sunday 7 September

Pool C: Spain vs. Japan 12:00, BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app, York Community Stadium – iPlayer.

Pool D: Italy v. Brazil (15:00), BBC Sport website, and BBC Sport app, Franklin’s Gardens – iPlayer, and BBC Sport – iPlayer.

Pool C: New Zealand v Ireland (14: 45), Brighton &amp, Hove Albion Stadium – BBC Two from 14: 30 and and BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle from 14: 00,

Saturday 13 September

Winner Pool C v. Runner-up Pool D (13:00), Sandy Park – BBC Two from 12: 30, Quarter-final 1

Quarter-final 2: Ashton Gate – BBC Two from 15:30 vs. Runner-up Pool A (16:00), Winner Pool B vs.

Sunday 14 September

Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C (13:00), Sandy Park – BBC Two from 12: 30, 3:00).

Friday, September 19

Winner of BBC Two’s Ashton Gate (1900), QF1 v. QF2, (1900), airs at 18: 30).

Saturday 20 September

Saturday 27 September

Third-place play-off final (12:30), Twickenham – BBC Two from 11:45).

Twickenham vs. BBC One World Cup final (16:00), starting at 15:00).