Rugby World Cup 2023 fixtures & schedule

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The waiting is almost over and the 2023 Rugby World Cup matches will soon be underway. No doubt all rugby fans have been making plans for where they will watch all of the rugby World Cup games but just in case you need a handy resource with all the rugby World Cup fixtures then here you are!

The pool stages last from Friday 8 September all the way through to Sunday 8 October, so we make that one whole month of rugby World Cup games with all teams playing three matches. The hosts against the three-times winners, France vs New Zealand, begin the tournament with the current rugby World Cup holders South Africa playing their first game on Sunday 10 October against Scotland. England take on Argentina on Saturday 9 September and Chile make their rugby World Cup debut on Sunday 10 October against Japan.

Twenty countries in total will take part in the first round – the pool stage – with the top two sides from each of the four groups progressing to the knockout stage. The teams who finish in third place will be guaranteed a place at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Rugby World Cup schedule (all times UK):

So, now we will take a closer look at the full schedule for the upcoming World Cup:

Friday, 8th September

• Pool A: France vs New Zealand – 20:15

Saturday, 9th September

• Pool A: Italy vs Namibia – 12:00
• Pool B: Ireland vs Romania – 14:30
• Pool C: Australia vs Georgia – 17:00
• Pool D: England vs Argentina – 20:00

Sunday, 10th September

• Pool D: Japan vs Chile – 12:00 
• Pool B:  South Africa vs Scotland – 16:45
• Pool C: Wales vs Fiji – 20:00

Thursday, 14th September

• Pool A: France vs Uruguay – 20:00

Friday, 15th September

• Pool A: New Zealand vs Namibia – 20:00

Saturday, 16th September

• Pool D: Samoa vs Chile – 14:00
• Pool C: Wales vs Portugal – 16:45
• Pool B: Ireland vs Tonga – 20:00

Sunday, 17th September

• Pool B: South Africa vs Romania – 14:00
• Pool C: Australia vs Fiji – 16:45
• Pool D: England vs Japan – 20:00

Wednesday, 20th September

• Pool A: Italy vs Uruguay – 16:45

Thursday, 21st September

• Pool A: France vs Namibia – 20:00

Friday, 22nd September

• Pool D: Argentina vs Samoa – 16:45

Saturday, 23rd September

• Pool C: Georgia vs Portugal – 13:00
• Pool D: England vs Chile – 16:45
• Pool B: South Africa vs Ireland – 20:00

Sunday, 24th September

• Pool B: Scotland vs Tonga – 16:45
• Pool C: Wales vs Australia – 20:00

Wednesday, 27th September

• Pool A: Uruguay vs Namibia – 16:45

Thursday, 28th September

• Pool D: Japan vs Samoa – 20:00

Friday, 29th September 

• Pool A: New Zealand vs Italy – 20:00

Saturday, 30th September

• Pool D: Argentina vs Chile – 14:00
• Pool C: Fiji vs Georgia – 16:45
• Pool B: Scotland vs Romania – 20:00

Sunday, 1st October

• Pool B: South Africa vs Tonga – 20:00
• Pool C: Australia vs Portugal – 16:45

Thursday, 5th October

• Pool A: New Zealand vs Uruguay – 20:00

Friday, 6th October

• Pool A: France vs Italy – 20:00

Saturday, 7th October

• Pool C: Wales vs Georgia – 14:00
• Pool D: England vs Samoa – 16:45
• Pool B: Ireland vs Scotland – 20:00

Sunday, 8th October

• Pool D: Japan vs Argentina – 12:00
• Pool B: Tonga vs Romania – 16:45
• Pool C: Fiji vs Portugal – 20:00

Quarter Finals

After these games on Sunday 8 October, we will bid farewell to 12 of the 20 teams who entered the tournament full of optimism at the start of September! There is a benefit to finishing top of your pool as you then get to play the runner-up in the quarter final. Look out for when these games are announced as you often see some of the big guns going head to head in rugby world cup matches at this stage.

Saturday, 14th October

• QF1: 1C vs 2D – 16:00
• QF2: 1B vs 2A – 20:00

Sunday, 15th October

• QF3: 1D vs 2C – 16:00
• QF 4: 1A vs 2B – 20:00

Semi-Finals

With the quarter finals complete, we will be left with only four remaining teams. The Friday and Saturday evenings of 20 and 21 October will be nerve-racking for any of the teams involved with the players and supporters knowing their side is a win away from a rugby World Cup final.

Friday, 20th October

• SF1: Winner QF 1 vs Winner QF 2 – 20:00

Saturday, 21st October

• SF2: Winner QF3 vs Winner QF 4 – 20:00

The Final (and third place playoffs)

With the finalists decided, the losers of the semi-finals will not be able to immediately jet off back to their part of the world and forget all about this rugby world cup schedule. They will have the bronze medal game to compete in!

Friday, 27th October

• Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2 – 20:00

All over bar the final. It’s the big one. This is what the entire rugby world cup schedule has built towards.

Saturday, 28th October

• Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 – 20:00

What a tournament this promises to be with the 20 teams being whittled down all the way to the final two and one winner by the end of October! The pool stages will see some rugby World Cup giants go head to head with some of the emerging nations and we could well see some giant-killings at this stage.

Once the quarter finals get underway, the tone of the tournament noticeably changes with the festival atmosphere gone and replaced with bitten finger nails with everyone knowing that their team could be heading home by the final whistle. That’s the beauty of knockout rugby world cup matches.

Hold onto your hats, the rugby is going to be non-stop with some fantastic players on show.

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