Everything you need to know ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup draw

While Bryan Easson’s side missed out on retaining their WXV 2 title after their defeat to Australia on Saturday, they did finally rubber-stamp qualification for the tournament in England next September. 

And they will be second seeds when the draw takes place tonight. 

Ahead of the draw, here is everything you need to know

When is the draw and how can I watch? 

The draw for the Women’s Rugby World Cup is being shown live on The One Show, on BBC One tonight. 

Last week, Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm gave her views on the draw being shown on primetime television.

“It’s exactly where we should be,” she said. 

Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm (Image: SNS) “We talk a lot as female athletes about being grateful for what we get given and I could sit here and say I’m so grateful but the product we’re putting out and the effort that’s going in as athletes and as support teams, this is where we deserve to be. 

“This next year has the potential to be one of the years which is going to influence the trajectory of women’s rugby forever. ”

How did Scotland qualify? 

As mentioned earlier, Scotland sealed qualification at WXV despite not retaining their title in South Africa. 

England qualified as hosts, while Canada, France and defending champions New Zealand booked their places after finishing in the top four at the last World Cup, played in 2022 – a year later than planned due to Covid. 

Sarah Bonar claims a lineout against the Black Ferns at the last World Cup (Image: World Rugby) Ireland sealed their place with a third-place finish in the Six Nations, with their win over Scotland ensuring their spot, while Fiji, Japan, South Africa, USA and Brazil were also regional qualifiers. 

Scotland earned their spot as one of the six highest-placed, non-qualified teams at WXV along with Australia, Italy, Wales, Spain and Samoa. 

How are the seedings determined? 

Scotland will be in the second band of teams when the draw is made, meaning they will play one of the top teams in the world, and a team each from band three and four. 

The seedings are determined by the World Rugby rankings, with Scotland currently in seventh. 

• Band 1: England, Canada, New Zealand and France
• Band 2: Australia, Ireland, Scotland and Italy
• Band 3: USA, Wales, Japan and South Africa
• Band 4: Spain, Samoa, Fiji and Brazil

When and where is the Women’s Rugby World Cup? 

The Women’s Rugby World Cup will be held from August 22 to September 27 next year. 

The World Cup final will be played at Twickenham (Image: PA) The final will be played at Twickenham, while Sunderland’s Stadium of Light will host the opening match. 

A full list of the venues

• Albion Stadium, Brighton and Hove
• Ashton Gate, Bristol
• Sandy Park, Exeter
• Twickenham Stadium, London
• Salford Community Stadium, Manchester
• Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton
• Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• York Community Stadium, York