World Rugby have revealed the new look WXV Global Series, which provides the Wallaroos with certainty around global fixtures for the next three years.
The competition will serve as the major pillar for qualification for the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2019 in Australia, involving a two-tier system with the top 18 teams in the world.
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The top 12 teams - including Australia - will compete in a home-and-away cross-regional model as part of an aligned international window through September and October, with each union retaining the commercial rights to their fixtures.
Teams will play between four and six fixtures annually within the new window outside of their usual scheduled matches.
Below this, teams 13-18 (Brazil, Fiji, Hong Kong China, Netherlands, Samoa and Spain) will play their fixtures in a single destination in 2026 and 2028.
There will also be a chance in 2027 for teams in each tie to cross over and face new opposition for those not involved in the inaugural British & Irish Lions Women's Tour to New Zealand.
The series builds on the initial WXV competition, which yielded a rise in Wallaroos fixtures, a historic win over France in 2023 and their maiden piece of silverware in 2024.
In a statement, World Rugby pledged to build off the success of the current World Cup, which has broken records for attention and engagement heading into the semi-finals.
"The launch of the WXV Global Series marks another landmark moment for the women’s game, following what will be an era-defining Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, that will change the global landscape for women’s rugby," World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said. “It delivers on our commitment to raise standards, provide consistent and competitive fixtures, and create sustainable commercial outcomes for the women’s game globally. Working closely with players and unions, this model creates the platform for women’s rugby to reach its full potential on and off the field.”
“This announcement builds on the growing momentum in women’s rugby. With the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England set to be the most attended and most viewed tournament in history, we now look ahead to the semi-final weekend with real excitement," World Rugby Director of High Performance Nicky Ponsford added.
“The WXV Global Series offers unions, players and domestic leagues certainty for the next three years. It will also support the development of teams ensuring quality competition across the cycle.”
WXV Global Series overview
- 18 national teams across two competitions
- Top 12 teams to play in a home-and-away cross-regional model from 2026–28
- Teams will play between four and six fixtures annually within the new September–October test window
- Teams 13-18 to compete in a funded, centralised annual tournament hosted at a single destination
- Cross-over fixtures to take place in 2027 around the British and Irish Lions Women’s Tour
- Over 100 international matches to be played across the three-year cycle
- Touring unions retain commercial rights to home fixtures
- Integrated into the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 qualification pathway
