Women's Rugby World Cup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rugby World Cup

Current tournament 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup logo
Sport	Women's rugby union
Instituted	6 April 1991; 34 years ago (1991-04-06)
Number of teams	12; 1991 — 1994 & 2006 — 2021 16; 1998 — 2002 & 2025
Regions	Worldwide (World Rugby)
Holders	England (3rd title)
Most titles	New Zealand (6 titles)

The Women's Rugby World Cup is a super exciting women's rugby union tournament. It's like the Olympics for women's rugby teams from all over the world! World Rugby organizes this big event.

The very first Women's Rugby World Cup happened in 1991. At first, it wasn't officially supported by the main rugby board. But by 1998, it got full official backing. Later, the 1991 and 1994 tournaments were also officially recognized.

This amazing competition usually takes place every four years. The 2021 tournament was moved to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was still called the 2021 event. So far, three countries have won this cup. New Zealand has won it a record six times, showing how strong they are! England won the most recent tournament in 2025.

History of the Women's Rugby World Cup

The Start of Women's Rugby World Cup

Before the official Women's Rugby World Cup began, there were a few similar tournaments. One of the first was in New Zealand in 1990. It was called the "World Rugby Festival for Women." Teams from the United States, Netherlands, Russia, and host New Zealand played. New Zealand won that festival!

The first tournament actually called the Women's Rugby World Cup happened in 1991 in Wales. Twelve countries competed. The United States surprised everyone by winning the first championship! They beat England 19-6. After this, it was decided to hold the tournament every three years for a while, to match up with the men's World Cup.

The next tournament in 1994 was supposed to be in Amsterdam but moved to Scotland. Eleven teams played. This time, England won, beating the United States in the final.

In 1998, the tournament finally got official support from the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby). Amsterdam hosted this big event, with a record sixteen teams competing. New Zealand joined in and won their first World Cup title, beating the United States.

Champions Through the Years

Spain hosted the tournament in 2002. New Zealand won again, beating England 19-9. In 2006, the World Cup went to Edmonton, Canada. This was the first time a major women's rugby tournament was held in North America. New Zealand won their third title in a row, again defeating England!

Wales v South Africa match in 2010

Many countries wanted to host the 2010 World Cup. England was chosen, and the games were played in London. New Zealand continued their winning streak, taking home their fourth title.

New Zealand celebrating their title in 2017

The 2017 World Cup took place in Ireland. Games were played in Dublin and Belfast. This tournament happened a year earlier than usual to better fit with the Summer Olympics. New Zealand won again, making it their fifth title!

Logo prior to 2021, when gender designation would be removed

In 2019, World Rugby decided to call the women's championship simply "Rugby World Cup" starting in 2021. They wanted to show that women's rugby is just as important as men's rugby. This was a big step for gender equality in sports!

The 2021 tournament, planned for New Zealand, was moved to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was still called the 2021 Rugby World Cup. New Zealand won this tournament, their sixth title!

The 2025 competition expanded to include 16 teams, up from 12. England hosted the 2025 tournament. Australia and the United States are set to host the next two women's tournaments in 2029 and 2033. This is exciting because it means both the men's and women's World Cups will be held in the same countries around the same time! England won the 2025 tournament, making it their third title.

In October 2023, World Rugby decided to change the names again. Starting in 2025, the women's tournament is once more called the "Women's Rugby World Cup." The men's tournament will be called the "Men's Rugby World Cup" from 2027. This change helps everyone know which tournament is which.

Amazing Records and Winners

Many incredible players have set records in the Women's Rugby World Cup!

Player Records

• Emily Scarratt from England has the most points ever in World Cup games, with 175! She also scored 70 points in one tournament in 2014.
• Magali Harvey from Canada scored 41 points in a single match in 2017. That's a lot of points!
• Kendra Cocksedge from New Zealand made 13 conversions in one game.
• Her teammate, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, scored 8 tries in a single match in 2017. Portia also holds the record for most tries in one tournament (13) and in her whole World Cup career (20 tries).
• Only a few drop goals have been scored in the tournament's history, showing how rare they are!
• In the 2025 World Cup, Braxton Sorensen-McGee (New Zealand) and Julia Schell (Canada) both scored two "hat tricks" (three tries in a game). Julia Schell even scored six tries in one match against Fiji!

Team Records

• The game between New Zealand and Germany in 1998 set many records. New Zealand won 134-6! This was the highest score by one team (134 points) and the biggest winning difference (128 points).

Tournament Winners and Hosts

Ed.	Year	Host	First place game			Third place game			Num. teams
			Champion	Score	Runner-up	Third	Score	Fourth
1	1991	Wales	United States	19–6 Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff	England	France	Shared	New Zealand	12
2	1994	Scotland	England	38–23 Edinburgh Academicals, Edinburgh	United States	France	27–0 Edinburgh Academicals, Edinburgh	Wales	12
3	1998	Netherlands	New Zealand	44–12 NRCA Stadium, Amsterdam	United States	England	31–15 NRCA Stadium, Amsterdam	Canada	16
4	2002	Spain	New Zealand	19–9 Olympic Stadium, Barcelona	England	France	41–7 Olympic Stadium, Barcelona	Canada	16
5	2006	Canada	New Zealand	25–17 Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton	England	France	17–8 Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton	Canada	12
6	2010	England	New Zealand	13–10 Twickenham Stoop, London	England	Australia	22–8 Twickenham Stoop, London	France	12
7	2014	France	England	21–9 Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris	Canada	France	25–18 Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris	Ireland	12
8	2017	Ireland	New Zealand	41–32 Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast	England	France	31–23 Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast	United States	12
9	2021	New Zealand	New Zealand	34–31 Eden Park, Auckland	England	France	36–0 Eden Park, Auckland	Canada	12
10	2025	England	England	33–13 Twickenham Stadium, London	Canada	New Zealand	42–26 Twickenham Stadium, London	France	16
11	2029	Australia	To be determined			To be determined			16
12	2033	United States	To be determined			To be determined			16

Team Performance Records

Team	Champions	Runners-up	Third place	Fourth place	Total top 4
New Zealand	6 (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017, 2021)	–	2 (1991, 2025)	–	8
England	3 (1994, 2014, 2025)	6 (1991, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017, 2021)	1 (1998)	–	10
United States	1 (1991)	2 (1994, 1998)	–	1 (2017)	4
Canada	–	2 (2014, 2025)	–	4 (1998, 2002, 2006, 2021)	6
France	–	–	7 (1991, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2017, 2021)	2 (2010, 2025)	9
Australia			1 (2010)		1
Wales	–	–	–	1 (1994)	1
Ireland	–	–	–	1 (2014)	1

Participating Nations Over Time

Team	1991	1994	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014	2017	2021	2025	2029	2033
Australia	–	–	5th	7th	7th	3rd	7th	6th	6th	8th	Q
Brazil	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	15th
Canada	5th	6th	4th	4th	4th	6th	2nd	5th	4th	2nd	Q
England	2nd	1st	3rd	2nd	2nd	2nd	1st	2nd	2nd	1st	Q
Fiji	–	–	–	–	–	w	–	e	9th	12th
France	3rd	3rd	8th	3rd	3rd	4th	3rd	3rd	3rd	4th	Q
Germany	–	w	14th	16th	–	e	–	–	–	–
Hong Kong	–	–	–	e	e	e	e	12th	w	e
Ireland	–	7th	10th	14th	8th	7th	4th	8th	e	5th
Italy	8th	w	12th	12th	–	e	e	9th	5th	10th
Japan	11th	8th	–	13th	e	e	e	11th	12th	11th
Kazakhstan	–	9th	9th	11th	11th	11th	12th	–	e	e
Netherlands	7th	w	13th	15th	–	e	e	e	e	e
New Zealand	3rd	w	1st	1st	1st	1st	5th	1st	1st	3rd	Q
Russia	11th	11th	16th	–	–	e	e	e	e	–
Samoa	–	–	–	9th	10th	e	11th	–	w	16th
Scotland	–	5th	6th	6th	6th	8th	e	e	10th	7th
South Africa	–	–	–	–	12th	10th	10th	–	11th	6th
Spain	6th	w	7th	8th	9th	e	9th	10th	e	14th
Sweden	10th	10th	15th	–	–	12th	e	–	–	–
United States	1st	2nd	2nd	5th	5th	5th	6th	4th	7th	9th		Q
Wales	9th	4th	11th	10th	–	9th	8th	7th	8th	13th

Q = nation qualified for Final Tournament not yet played
w = nation withdrew from (final) Tournament
e = nation eliminated in qualifying stage and did not reach Final Tournament
– = nation did not enter competition.

The following nations have participated in qualifying stages, but have never reached the Final Tournament:

Team	1991	1994	1998	2002	2006	2010	2014	2017	2021	2025	2029	2033
Belgium	–	–	–	–	–	e	–	e	–	–
China	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	–
Cameroon	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	e
Colombia	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	e
Czech Republic	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	–	–
Finland	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	–	–	–
India	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	–
Kenya	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	–	e	e
Laos	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	–	–	–
Madagascar	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	e
Papua New Guinea	–	–	–	–	–	w	–	e	e	e
Philippines	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	–	e	–
Singapore	–	–	–	–	–	e	e	–	e	–
Switzerland	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	–	–
Thailand	–	–	–	–	e	–	e	–	–	–
Tonga	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	w	e
Uganda	–	–	–	–	–	–	e	–	e	–

e = nation eliminated in qualifying stage and did not reach Final Tournament
w = nation withdrew from qualifying stage
p = nation possibly eliminated in qualifying stage and will need to be successful in Repechage in order to reach Final Tournament
– = nation did not enter qualifying stage competition.

Debut of National Teams

Year	Nation(s)	Total
1991	Canada  England  France  Italy  Japan  Netherlands  New Zealand  Russia  Spain  Sweden  United States  Wales	12
1994	Ireland  Kazakhstan  Scotland	3
1998	Australia  Germany	2
2002	Samoa	1
2006	South Africa	1
2010	(none)	0
2014	(none)	0
2017	Hong Kong	1
2021	Fiji	1
2025	Brazil	1
2029	TBC	TBC

Refereeing the Big Games

Here are the referees who have overseen the exciting final matches:

How the Tournament Works

The tournament format has changed a bit over the years. In 2006, 12 teams played in groups, and the best teams moved on to knockout rounds.

The 2010 and 2021 tournaments also had 12 teams. In 2021, they added quarter-finals, just like in the men's Rugby World Cup. For the 2025 tournament, the competition grew even bigger, with 16 teams competing!

The Special Trophy

A brand new trophy was created for the 2025 tournament in England. It was designed by Thomas Lyte, a famous silversmith in London. The trophy is made of shiny sterling silver and covered in 24-carat gold. It stands 38 centimeters tall and weighs 4.5 kilograms, just like the men's Rugby World Cup Trophy!

Watching the Games

The Women's Rugby World Cup has become much more popular over the last 15 years. More people watch it on TV and attend the games now.

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports showed many live matches from the 2010 World Cup. This included the semi-finals and the final. From 2017 onwards, the games have been shown on free TV channels like ITV and the BBC.

In Ireland, the channel TG4 broadcast the 2014 World Cup. They received praise for showing all of Ireland's matches, plus the semi-finals and final. Many people in England, France, and the United States watched the knockout games in 2017.

See also

In Spanish: Copa Mundial Femenina de Rugby para niños

• Rugby World Cup (men)
• Women's rugby union
• Women's international rugby
• Women's Rugby League World Cup