After a long break, the RWC has announced its new 2023 edition that will be held in France next year. This particular tournament will be special because it will be not just the 10th installment of the World Cup but also will hit its 200th anniversary since Rugby itself was invented. Therefore, all major countries will come to France to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime event and enjoy another installment of this amazing tournament.

Out of 20 participants, 12 countries have already been qualified to buy tickets to France because of their previous performance. So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the qualified teams.

1. South Africa

South Africa is the defending champion who will do anything to keep the trophy at home. They secured the most championships in the history of this game, along with New Zealand. Despite participating not more than seven times, they managed to secure three Cups out of seven tournaments. That is a massive achievement for this African country since they started playing rugby not very long ago.

In most of the schools and colleges, South African children grow up playing rugby and participating in local tournaments. It is no surprise that they are at the top of the charts. They currently have one of the best rugby teams that is preparing to defend their title in France in 2023. 

2. England

After winning the title in 2003, England has been craving for a new one for a very long time. After all, this country is the birthplace of rugby and has attended every major World Cup. The current English National Rugby team is at the top of its game now. After their loss in the finals of 2019 against South Africa, they have trained to create one of the most balanced teams and ended up winning Six Nations in 2020 – as if to regain some of their old glory.

When a little boy named William Webb picked a football from the ground with his hands in the middle of a match and started running, the game of rugby was born in 1823 in England. And now, 200 years later, they are preparing to play the game in France in Rugby World Cup 2023. Most of the fans are excited looking for betting sites without ID verification to place bets.

3. New Zealand

With a total record of sixteen titles, New Zealand is easily one of the favorites when it comes to Rugby World Cup. They are the three-time world champions, with 2015 being their most recent one. Though they are mostly known for their impressive Haka dance, they currently have a perfectly balanced team compared to any other country.

The All Blacks are considered the most successful international men’s rugby team, with a 77.41% winning percentage since their inaugural Test Match in 1903. Their in-game performance and strategy have helped them gather a large number of accolades and trophies, making them the most favorite when it comes to RWC. 

4. France

France is the host country of the Rugby World Cup 2023 and has the most number of registered rugby players in the world – 542,242, to be more precise. Despite having such a massive rugby culture, France is yet to win any international championship title. The three finals that they have played were lost in spite of giving their best effort. Therefore, they are looking forward to 2023 to secure a title in their name so that a country with the biggest rugby player base can also boast of their thriving success. With a good coaching team behind their back, they are now aiming to win their first world title in the upcoming RWC 2022 on their home ground.   

5. Wales

Rugby is considered the national sport in Wales, with over three hundred rugby clubs scattered all over the country. Around the 1970s, they had one of the strongest rugby teams. However, since the Rugby World Cup did not exist at that period, they did not get the chance to bag a Cup and earn a title for their country. Today, the Welsh team is competing against the giants and topping the charts at the Six Nations tournament. As their Rugby Union dates as far back as 1881, it just shows how obsessed they are when it comes to this beautiful game of rugby. Being an outsider, they are one of the top contenders in Rugby World Cup 2023 and a team to look out for.  

6. Ireland

It is one of those rare teams that benefit from having the best players from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Irish team topped the World Rugby Ranking back in 2019 for the first time. Though they could not hold that position, they are a regular participant in the Rugby World Cup, the Six Nations, and the Autumn Cup. The Irish National team consists of players from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. And that is an added bonus for them to have a wholesome team from both the aisle. They are more than ready this time to top the chart again and shoot for the title.  

7. Australia

Despite not being able to get past the quarterfinals in 2019, Australia is undoubtedly prepared this time to capture the world title. Their performance peaked during the 1990s when they became world champions twice in 1991 and 1999. Though they have lost their old charm in previous years, they are willing to bet against all odds to score high in the upcoming Rugby World Cup in 2023. The Australian team is another national team with a famous nickname: The Wallabies – just like the All Blacks of New Zealand.  

8. Japan

In spite of losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion South Africa, Japan managed to retain an all-round team with a good balance between both attacking and defending. They were also the host of last year’s Rugby World Cup. So, they have more than experienced in this game when it comes to aiming for an international trophy. This is more compelling when both the national coach and the captain of the Japanese team has New Zealand origin. Jamie Joseph was an active player in Japan and joined as the manager in 2016, and Captain Micheal Leitch moved to Japan at a very young age from New Zealand.    

9. Scotland

With the best-recorded performance at World Cup being fourth in 1991, Scotland’s current team is doing formidably well in the world rugby rankings. They now hold the position of seventh place despite having only 49,265 registered rugby players throughout the country. And they are preparing now to secure even a better position in the upcoming tournament with a surprisingly good team.

10. Argentina

Argentina is one of those rare countries that has participated in the Rugby World Cup every four years since the beginning of the first World Cup in 1987. They had gained enough confidence since their best performance in 2007 when they achieved third place. Now they are a good enough team that can take down even the contending ones judging from their previous trends.

In Conclusion

Anything can happen in 2023 when the whistle blows. There are still rooms for eight more teams that will be added later on based on their qualifying performance, in addition to the already qualified twelve teams. These twenty teams will then move on to play against each other in the Rugby World Cup 2023 that will be held in France next year.