Rugby World Cup 2023 - JAPAN v SAMOA

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be the tenth men's Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for rugby union national teams. It is scheduled to take place in France from 8 September to 28 October 2023 in nine venues across the country, and is the first Rugby World Cup to take place entirely in France. The opening game and Final will take place at the Stade de France, north of Paris. The tournament will take place in the bicentenary year of the "invention" of the sport by William Webb Ellis.

Originally, the tournament was scheduled to last the usual six weeks, but in February 2021, World Rugby added a week to provide additional rest days for player welfare. This means that teams will have a minimum of five days' rest for all matches. It will be the third time France has hosted the Rugby World Cup, having previously hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, as well as the 1991 Rugby World Cup as joint hosts with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It precedes the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and will take place less than a year before the Olympics opening ceremony.

The defending champions are South Africa, who defeated England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final.

Chile will make their first ever appearance at the Rugby World Cup, and Portugal will return for their second appearance, 16 years after their first appearance in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.