Ten days in Dubai : RWC Final Qualification Tournament 2025
Belgium, Namibia, Samoa and Brazil are set to battle it out over 10 days from 8 -18 November in Dubai at the Men's Rugby World Cup 2027 Final Qualification Tournament to become the 24th and final team at Australia 2027.
Brazil has come in as a late replacement for Paraguay after Paraguay advised World Rugby that they had inadvertently played an ineligible player in the final South American RWC qualification play-off matches against Brazil and withdrew themselves from the tournament.
Belgium and Brazil will be striving to create history for their nations by reaching their first ever Rugby World Cup, while Namibia will look to play in their eighth consecutive RWC since first qualifying for Wales 1999. Samoa will be hoping to secure their 10th consecutive appearance at a Rugby World Cup after reaching the quarter-finals in 1991 and 1995.
Drama in Dubai
The Final Qualification Tournament will unfold over three match days - 8, 13, and 18 November, with each nation meeting all three other nations once in a single round-robin format. The team finishing top of the standings on competition points at the completion of the tournament will claim the 24th and final spot at Australia 2027.
Match Day 1 on Saturday, 8 November kicks-off with Manu Samoa taking on the Tupis of Brazil in the opening match followed by the Black Devils of Belgium against the Welwitschias of Namibia, who will feel right at home as they take their moniker from a desert plant native to Angola and Namibia that can live for more than 1000 years.
Five days later on Thursday, 13 November Belgium match up against Brazil while Samoa take on Namibia. Then on Match Day 3 Namibia will face Brazil, while the final match pits top seeds Samoa against second seeds Belgium.
Four very different journeys – one destination
One nation has reached the Final Qualification Tournament after a best ever performance in their respective continental championship, while for another two nations it was a case of allowing their usually high standards to slip just a little. For a fourth it was a chance reprieve after initial disappointment.
For Belgium, inspired by the outstanding form of blindside flanker Jean-Maurice Decubber, they put back-to back wins together over Switzerland and the Netherlands over two magical weeks in March to see them finish fifth in the 2025 Rugby Europe Men's Championship and earn their place in the FQT.
On the other side of the coin Namibia suffered a shock loss to Zimbabwe in the final of the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup to see them miss out on automatic qualification for Australia 2027, meaning they were forced into a play-off against the runner-up of the 2025 Asia Rugby Championship, United Arab Emirates. However the Welwitschias managed to navigate that challenge to see them line-up in Dubai.
It was a similar story for Samoa, who after finishing in a disappointing sixth place in the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2025, then faced the runner-up in the Sudaméricano 2025, Chile. The proud Samoans were surprisingly beaten over two-legs, 63-44 on aggregate, their first ever loss to Chile, to see them take their place in the FQT.
For the fourth nation Brazil, it was a case of thinking their RWC dreams were over after suffering a shock loss to Paraguay in Round 3 of the Sudaméricano 2025 third place play-off for RWC 2027, 70-43 on aggregate over the two matches. This was an astonishing turn around after Brazil had beaten Paraguay 77-17 just over 12 months before.
But after Paraguay withdrew from the FQT after discovering they had played an ineligible player in the play-off victory against Brazil, the Tupis were given their last minute reprieve and a chance to fight for Rugby World Cup glory. Destiny perhaps...? We shall find out!
Key dates and locations
The FQT takes place over three match days from 8-18 November at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai.
Men’s RWC 2027 Final Qualification Tournament
(all times local Dubai time GMT+4)
Match day 1 – 8 November
17:00 - Samoa v Brazil
19:30 - Belgium v Namibia
Match day 2 – 13 November
17:00 - Belgium v Brazil
19:30 - Samoa v Namibia
Match day 3 – 18 November
17:00 – Namibia v Brazil
19:30 – Samoa v Belgium
For those in Dubai matches will be free to attend for spectators and rugby fans, and food and beverages will be available to purchase throughout the fixtures at The Sevens Stadium, The stadium’s famous ‘Beats on 2’ raised bar and viewing platform will also be open, offering fans the perfect spot to cheer on their teams.
For those unable to make it to Dubai, the tournament will be available to watch everywhere in the world, either through local broadcast partners or free via RugbyPass TV.
“The ultimate test of resilience, belief, and ambition”
Speaking shortly after the final line-up for the FQT was announced World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “With Dubai set to host what promises to be an exciting and fiercely contested event, the Final Qualification Tournament embodies the global growth and inclusivity at the heart of our sport.
“The Final Qualification Tournament represents the ultimate test of resilience, belief, and ambition for these four nations. Each team has overcome enormous challenges to reach this stage, and only one will earn the right to compete at Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.”
Standby for drama with all to play for and everything at stake
The FQT promises 10 days of drama in the desert as these four remaining nation strive for a seat at the pinnacle of the men’s game. Don’t miss a minute of what is sure to be three days of high-quality high-stakes rugby as a quartet of teams strive to claim that final ticket to one of the greatest rugby shows on earth, Australia 2027.
