England’s Red Roses, led by captain Marlie Packer, will aim to lift the trophy for a third time in next year’s competition Credit: PA Wire/Brett Phibbs Latest updates 7:18PM
Players in the building The captains of England, Wales and Scotland, and Ireland’s co-captain, are in the BBC One Show studio ahead of the draw which is due to take place around 7:20pm.
England captain, Marlie Packer, told the hosts: “I think for me personally it’s a massive honour and privilege to do so [be captain].
“Knowing that every team wants to beat you, you can’t be complacent. You’ve always got to push yourself – in training sessions we’re striving to be the best.”
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England captain ready for action 7:04PM
Big moment for women’s game England’s Red Roses are now a regular feature on the BBC, but to have the World Cup draw broadcast live on one of the corporation’s flagship evening shows feels like a moment and another valuable opportunity to promote the tournament on prime time television.
Records have already tumbled after 60,000 tickets were snapped up on the opening day of the pre-sale last month, with organisers billing it as an “era-defining” moment for women’s sport.
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History of the tournament At the inaugural Women’s World Cup in Wales, the US became the first team to lift the trophy in 1991 after overcoming England 19-6 in the final. The tables were turned three years later when England triumphed 38-23 against the defending champions in Edinburgh.
The competition has been almost entirely dominated by New Zealand ever since, with England being the only team to challenge their influence when they won the competition for a second time in 2014.
England last lifted the trophy in 2014 Credit: AFP/Getty Images/ALAIN JOCARD The last World Cup, held a year later than planned in 2022 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, saw New Zealand host for the first time. Their name was etched onto the trophy for a sixth time as they became the first hosts to lift the silverware. They beat the Red Roses 34-31 in the final, ending England’s 30-game unbeaten streak in dramatic fashion.
Now, 34 years after the inaugural World Cup, the competition will once again be held on the British Isles in 2025 as England play host for the second time.
Next year, we will see if the Red Roses can unseat the defending champions and lift the trophy for a third time, and for the first time on English soil.
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Where will the competition be held? Taking place up and down the country, the World Cup will be the biggest and most accessible celebration of women’s rugby ever.
Sunderland’s Stadium of Light will host the opening game on August 22, while Twickenham will stage the final on September 27.
Between those dates, games will be played in a range of stadiums across England, with 95 per cent of the population within a two-hour travel time of a venue.
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How will the draw work? Tonight’s draw will take place live on BBC’s The One Show from around 7.20pm. Gabby Logan and England’s 2014 World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi are part of the hosting team.
England sit top of Pool A. Meanwhile, Canada, New Zealand and France top Pools B, C and D respectively. They are the three other teams who received direct qualification after finishing in the top four at the last World Cup, which took place in New Zealand in 2022.
England qualified automatically as the host nation Credit: Getty Images /Catherine Ivill Next year’s competition will feature an expanded format of 16 teams, compared to the 12 that competed in previous tournaments. The other 12 teams earned a spot through regional competitions and at WXV, the three-tier global competition.
All of the qualified teams have been seeded one to 16 and then separated into four bands, which are as follows:
Band 1: England, Canada, New Zealand, FranceBand 2: Australia, Ireland, Scotland, ItalyBand 3: USA, Wales, Japan, South AfricaBand 4: Spain, Samoa, Fiji, Brazil.Each band will be drawn randomly to determine the four pools – starting with band four – with the first drawn going into Pool D, the second into Pool C, third into Pool B and fourth into Pool A.
You can find out more about where and when the competition will be held here.
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Good evening Welcome to Telegraph Sport’s coverage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup draw.
Tonight’s draw kick-starts an exciting run-up to the tournament, which England will host next summer in venues across the country – including Twickenham, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and Brighton and Hove Albion Stadium.
The Red Roses are firm favourites heading into the competition. As the host nation, they received automatic qualification – however with a rating of 97.56 points, they head into the draw as the highest-rated team of all-time in both the men’s and women’s rankings.
New Zealand are defending champions, having won the tournament on home soil in 2022 after it was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic Credit: REUTERS/DAVID ROWLAND At the last World Cup in 2022, they were defeated by New Zealand, the host nation, in a dramatic final in front of a then record-breaking crowd for a women’s fixture of 42,579 at Eden Park.
This tournament is expected to be even bigger – more than 60,000 tickets were bought in the presale alone across the opening match, the bronze-medal game and the final.
England have always finished top of their pool and are the only team to have reached the semi-finals in every tournament to date. However, the Red Roses have struggled with that final step, having won the World Cup only twice in 1994 and 2014.
A decade on from their last victory, John Mitchell’s team will be hoping to knock defending champions New Zealand off their perch.
Tonight’s draw will see the 16 teams drawn into four pools of four in readiness for next summer’s group stage.