Are you looking forward to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France? This is the tenth edition of the tournament, and the host nation is the favorite to take the series. The quadrennial world championships feature the top rugby union teams from around the globe and promise to be a banger for rugby fans.
The tournament will take place in France from 8 September to 28 October, with matches in nine stadiums across the country.
To make sure you don’t miss a minute, check out how to watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup below.
Page Contents
Where To Watch the Rugby World Cup 2023?
So, where can you watch Rugby World Cup 2023? The tournament is available on online streaming services and through broadcasting partners across the globe. You can find the games available through the following partners.
Stream the Rugby World Cup 2023 Online
If you don’t have cable and want to watch the action at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, you can stream with the following online platforms. In the United States, viewers can watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup on the following streaming platforms.
- NBCSports.com and NBC Sports App
- fuboTV
- Hulu+ Live TV
- Sling (Blue)
- AT&T TV Now
- YouTube TV
NBC Sports Gold previously presented the “Rugby World Cup Pass” to its clients, but it was a costly service for viewers. Still, the platform delivered all 48 tournament games to its audience, as well as 22 exclusive games which were yet to be available on the TV broadcasting network partner.
So, if you want to get the best coverage of the Rugby World Cup 2023 from the United States, streaming is your best option. If you’re in the Americas and don’t have access to US streaming platforms, you can use a workaround to get past the platform controls preventing you from accessing the streaming service.
Or, if you’re in the Americas, you can take the “Rugby World Cup Pass” (previously valued at $199.99). Diehard Rugby fans also have the option of going for the “All Access Premium Rugby Pass,” offering you a combination of the “Rugby Pass” and “Rugby World Cup Pass.”
This pass gives viewers access to the complete range of Premiership Rugby League matches, the Six Nations Championship, the Heineken Champions Cup, and the knockout phase of the European Rugby Cup Challenge. This pass retails for $229.99.
If you’re looking for a more affordable but comprehensive rugby pass, you can check out the “Rugby World Cup Single Match Pass.” This service from NBC Sports Gold provides access to single Rugby World Cup Matches for $29.99 per game.
Watch the Rugby World Cup 2023 on Cable
Watch in Europe
Country or Region Broadcasters
- France TF1 Group
- Albania, Kosovo DigitAlb
- Belgium Telenet
- Cyprus CYTA
- Czech Republic, Slovakia Pragosport
- Georgia GPB
- Germany ProSieben / Sat.1 Media
- Ireland Eir Sport RTE
- Italy RAI
- Latvia LTV7
- Netherlands Ziggo Sport
- Nordic (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) NENT
- Poland Polsat
- Portugal Sport TV
- Russia Match TV
- Romania TVR
- Spain, Andorra Movistar+
- United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland) ITV, S4C (in the Welsh language)
Watch in Asia, Oceania, and The Pacific
Country or Region Broadcasters
- Australia Fox Sports, Network Ten
- South Pacific Fiji TV
- Hong Kong beIN SPORTS
- Indian Sub-Continent Sony Pictures Networks India
- Japan DAZN, J Sports, NHK, Nippon TV
- Malaysia RTM
- New Zealand TVNZ, Spark
- South-East Asia beIN SPORTS
- Taiwan ELTA
Watch in the Americas
Country or Region Broadcasters
- Argentina Television Publica (TPA)
- Brazil ESPN (Brasil)
- Canada TSN (English), RDS (French)
- Latin America ESPN Latin America
- United States of America NBCUniversal
- Uruguay Channel 10
- Caribbean ESPN
Watch in The Middle East And Africa
Country or Region Broadcasters
- Middle East and North Africa beIN SPORTS
- Israel Charlton
- Sub-Saharan Africa SuperSport
How Can I Watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup without a Cable or Streaming Service Subscription?
The problem with the NBC Sports Gold packages is that they’re only available for American viewers. If you’re watching from outside the US, such as Canada or South America, you can’t access the NBC Sports Gold platform, or can you?
Fortunately, a workaround gives you access to NBC Sports Gold. First, you’ll need to download and install a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to your home router or device. The VPN cloaks your IP address, replacing it with a US-based IP when you log onto the US VPN server with ExpressVPN.
The VPN fools the NBC Sports Gold server into thinking you’re an American subscriber. As a result, you can access the range of NBC Sports Gold packages to watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup. All you have to do is use your PayPal account or gift card to pay for your NBC Sports Gold subscription, and you’re ready to go.
Enjoy the best of the 2023 Rugby World Cup from the comfort of home, anywhere in the world. If you don’t have access to a broadcasting partner in your area or don’t want to go to the expense of signing up for a cable subscription, VPN workarounds are the best choice to gain access to the action.
What You Need to Know About the 2023 Rugby World Cup
The opening game and final match will occur in the legendary “Stade de France,” in the commune of Saint-Denis, which is to the north of Paris. The 2023 tournament takes place in the bicentenary year anniversary of the creation of the sport by Sir William Webb Ellis. The teams will battle on the field for the Webb Ellis trophy, the most highly regarded prize in the sport.
The original version of the tournament occurred across six weeks, with the tournament organizers announcing an additional week in 2021 to give the players more rest before the final. The extra week of rest ensures fans get a better experience as the finalists take the field for the tournament’s last match.
In total, the players receive a minimum of five rest days across all matches during the tournament allowing team coaches and physios to optimize athlete recovery and prevent injuries. It’s the third time the French are the tournament hosts, with 2007 being the last time France hosted the event. They were joint hosts alongside England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in 1991.
The 2023 tournament precedes the 2024 Olympics, which are also set for Paris in the summer. South Africa is the defending champion, with the Boks defeating England 32–12 in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.
The tournament’s underdog is Chile, with the team making its first appearance at the Rugby World Cup. Portugal returns for a second appearance after a 16-year absence. So, which teams are the favorites across the four pools? Who’s a dark horse, and which teams have a hard path to the final? Let’s unpack everything you need to know about the Rugby World Cup France 2023.
What’s the Format for the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
The countries allocated to the Rugby World Cup pools automatically qualified based on their results in the World Cup 2019 in Japan. After completing the pool phase of the tournament, the top two teams from each pool advance to the knockout stage.
The winner of each pool plays in the quarter-final stage against the runner-up in a different pool. The semi-finals comprise four teams, with the winners moving to the final and the losers competing for third place.
The final takes place on 21 October, with the winner raising the Webb Ellis Cup.
Who Qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
So, which teams qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France? Let’s unpack the favorites and expected results from each pool and how they will fair during the tournament.
Pool A
France, the tournament’s host nation, automatically qualifies for Rugby World Cup 2023. The host nation was the first nation drawn, and they enjoy a large supporter base from local fans expected to pack stadiums across the country.
However, France has a difficult path to the knockout phase f the tournament, with their first game being against the legendary New Zealand All Blacks. Based on the history between these two teams, France has its work cut out for them. New Zealand remains a top favorite for the title, according to bookmakers.
France and the All Blacks have 61 games between the two sides, with New Zealand winning 48 matches to Frances 12. Italy, the third country in Pool A, has a history of never making it past the pool phase, and all eyes are on France and New Zealand to make it through to the knockout stages of the Tournament and a possible finals face-off between the two countries.
We round off Pool A with Uruguay, who have no chance against the titans of France and New Zealand.
Pool B
The defending champions, South Africa, have some tough competition ahead of them in Pool B. Ireland is Hoping to get a chance to trounce the Springboks. Ireland is looking like a team on fire at the end of the 2022 season, and we can expect them to carry this momentum into 2023.
Bookmakers have Ireland and South Africa as the favorites in Pool B. Scotland is a dark horse in Pool B, and bookmakers don’t expect them to pull off a place in the tournament’s knockout stages.
We round out Pool B with Spain and a country from the Asia Pacific. There’s little chance of these teams making any impact against the Springboks and the Irish.
Pool C
Pool C sees favorites Australia and Wales set to advance to the tournament’s knockout stages. The pair have a competitive history, with Australia taking 30 wins against the 12 from the Welsh.
In the 2019 Rugby World Cup, we saw a nail-biting match between the teams ending in a 25-29 victory for the Welsh. The Aussies are no slouch, and you can never count them out, despite them being off their tournament-winning best in recent years.
Georgia, Fiji, and another qualifying team round up Pool C, but there needs to be more chance of them creating an upset to reach the knockout phases of Rugby World Cup 2023.
Pool D
We round up the groups, with England being the favorite in Pool D. The English seem to have the easiest road in front of them in the Pool stage of the competition. The English lost against South Africa in the final of the 2019 tournament.
The English will likely do away with Argentina and Japan, with both teams presenting little threat to the English hopes of reaching the knockout stage. Japan and Argentina will duke it out for second place. They last faced each other in Rugby World Cup 1999, with the final score being 33 – 12 in favor of the Argentinians.
