Rugby World Cup 2019: Everything You Need to Know
It is good to know that we have been hitting the September month! Not to mention that it is less than a fortnight until we are able to see the opening ceremony of the RWC 2019 and the opening match as well. If you have just heard about this or needed other information including the venues, fixtures, live stream, and TV channel list, you have come to the right page. So, let’s just get started with the accurate information.
| Event | (RWC) Rugby World Cup 2019 |
| Hosts Country | Japan |
| Starting Date | 20th September 2019 |
| RWC 2019 Final | 2nd November 2019 |
| Participating Nations | 20 |
| Number of Matches | 48 |
| Live Stream | Watch Here |
Where is the World Cup Rugby 2019 being held?
The upcoming 2019 Rugby World Cup 2019 is the 9th edition of the big spectacle event. The whole competition will take place across Japan country as the host from September 20 to November 2. It is pivotal to see the list of the fixtures at the official site to help you track the team you are supporting.
List of Rugby World Cup 2019 Venues
- Tokyo Stadium
- International Stadium Yokohama
- Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa
- Hanazono Rugby Stadium
- Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium
- City of Toyota Stadium
- Sapporo Dome
- Oita Stadium
- Kumamoto Stadium
- Kobe Misaki Stadium
- Kumagaya Rugby Stadium
- Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium
2019 Rugby World Cup Qualified Teams
Months ago, rugby fans have attained the important information about twenty teams who have filled the qualification spots.
There were 12 automatic qualifiers. Some of them come to the qualification spot because of their top three achievements during the pools in 2015. The automatic qualifiers were In New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, England, Georgia, Japan and Italy.
| POOL A | POOL B | POOL C | POOL D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | New Zealand | England | Australia |
| Scotland | South Africa | France | Wales |
| Japan | Italy | Argentina | Georgia |
| Russia | Namibia | USA | Fiji |
| Samoa | Canada | Tonga | Uruguay |
The regional and cross-regional matches contributed to the other seven teams in the qualification spots. Meanwhile, Russia comes to the competition participant since they managed to the highest ranked team in Europe.
Rugby World Cup 2019 Fixtures
The big event will take place from 20 September to 2 November. In the 20 September, we will see the opening match of the event. It will take place at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chofu, Tokyo. Meanwhile, the place will be different for the final match. Officials have confirmed that the final match will take place at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. If you are rooting specific teams, it is important to look at the Rugby World Cup 2019 Fixtures here below.
Rugby World Cup 2019 Schedule (All times in JST)
| MATCH NO | DATE | POOL | MATCH | KICK-OFFS | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Friday, Sept. 20 | – | Opening Ceremony | 18:30 | Tokyo Stadium |
| 1 | Friday, Sept. 20 | A | Japan vs. Russia | 19:45 | Tokyo Stadium |
| 2 | Saturday, Sept. 21 | D | Australia vs. Fiji | 13:45 | Sapporo Dome |
| 3 | Saturday, Sept. 21 | C | France vs. Argentina | 16:15 | Tokyo Stadium |
| 4 | Saturday, Sept. 21 | B | New Zealand vs. South Africa | 18:45 | International Stadium Yokohama |
| 5 | Sunday, Sept. 22 | B | Italy vs. Namibia | 14:15 | Hanazono Rugby Stadium |
| 6 | Sunday, Sept. 22 | A | Ireland vs. Scotland | 16:45 | International Stadium Yokohama |
| 7 | Sunday, Sept. 22 | C | England vs. Tonga | 19:15 | Sapporo Dome |
| 8 | Monday, Sept. 23 | D | Wales vs. Georgia | 19:15 | City of Toyota Stadium |
| 9 | Tuesday, Sept. 24 | A | Russia vs. Samoa | 19:15 | Kumagaya Rugby Stadium |
| 10 | Wednesday, Sept. 25 | D | Fiji vs. Uruguay | 14:15 | Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium |
| 11 | Thursday, Sept. 26 | B | Italy vs. Canada | 16:45 | Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium |
| 12 | Thursday, Sept. 26 | C | England vs. United States | 19:45 | Kobe Misaki Stadium |
| 13 | Saturday, Sept. 28 | C | Argentina vs. Tonga | 13:45 | Hanazono Rugby Stadium |
| 14 | Saturday, Sept. 28 | A | Japan vs. Ireland | 16:15 | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa |
| 15 | Saturday, Sept. 28 | B | South Africa vs. Namibia | 18:45 | City of Toyota Stadium |
| 16 | Sunday, Sept. 29 | D | Georgia vs. Uruguay | 14:15 | Kumagaya Rugby Stadium |
| 17 | Sunday, Sept. 29 | D | Australia vs. Wales | 16:45 | Tokyo Stadium |
| 18 | Monday, Sept. 30 | A | Scotland vs. Samoa | 19:15 | Kobe Misaki Stadium |
| 19 | Wednesday, Oct. 2 | C | France vs. United States | 16:45 | Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium |
| 20 | Wednesday, Oct. 2 | B | New Zealand vs. Canada | 19:15 | Oita Stadium |
| 21 | Thursday, Oct. 3 | D | Georgia vs. Fiji | 14:15 | Hanazono Rugby Stadium |
| 22 | Thursday, Oct. 3 | A | Ireland vs. Russia | 19:15 | Kobe Misaki Stadium |
| 23 | Friday, Oct. 4 | B | South Africa vs. Italy | 18:45 | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa |
| 24 | Saturday, Oct. 5 | D | Australia vs. Uruguay | 14:15 | Oita Stadium |
| 25 | Saturday, Oct. 5 | C | England vs. Argentina | 17:00 | Tokyo Stadium |
| 26 | Saturday, Oct 5 | A | Japan vs. Samoa | 19:30 | City of Toyota Stadium |
| 27 | Sunday, Oct. 6 | B | New Zealand vs. Namibia | 13:45 | Tokyo Stadium |
| 28 | Sunday, Oct. 6 | C | France vs. Tonga | 16:45 | Kumamoto Stadium |
| 29 | Tuesday, Oct. 8 | B | South Africa vs. Canada | 19:15 | Kobe Misaki Stadium |
| 30 | Wednesday, Oct. 9 | C | Argentina vs. United States | 13:45 | Kumagaya Rugby Stadium |
| 31 | Wednesday, Oct. 9 | A | Scotland vs. Russia | 16:15 | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa |
| 32 | Wednesday, Oct. 9 | D | Wales vs. Fiji | 18:45 | Oita Stadium |
| 33 | Friday, Oct. 11 | D | Australia vs. Georgia | 19:15 | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa |
| 34 | Saturday, Oct. 12 | B | New Zealand vs. Italy | 13:45 | City of Toyota Stadium |
| 35 | Saturday, Oct. 12 | C | England vs. France | 17:15 | International Stadium Yokohama |
| 36 | Saturday, Oct 12 | A | Ireland vs. Samoa | 19:45 | Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium |
| 37 | Sunday, Oct. 13 | B | Namibia vs. Canada | 12:15 | Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium |
| 38 | Sunday, Oct. 13 | C | United States vs. Tonga | 14:45 | Hanazono Rugby Stadium |
| 39 | Sunday, Oct. 13 | D | Wales vs. Uruguay | 17:15 | Kumamoto Stadium |
| 40 | Sunday, Oct. 13 | A | Japan vs. Scotland | 19:45 | International Stadium Yokohama |
| 41 | Saturday, Oct. 19 | – | QF1: W Pool C vs. RU Pool D | 16:15 | Oita Stadium |
| 42 | Saturday, Oct. 19 | – | QF2: W Pool B vs. RU Pool A | 19:15 | Tokyo Stadium |
| 43 | Sunday, Oct. 20 | – | QF3: W Pool D vs. RU Pool C | 16:15 | Oita Stadium |
| 44 | Sunday, Oct. 20 | – | QF4: W Pool A vs. RU Pool B | 19:15 | Tokyo Stadium |
| 45 | Saturday, Oct. 26 | – | SF1: W QF1 vs. W QF2 | 17:00 | International Stadium Yokohama |
| 46 | Sunday, Oct. 27 | – | SF2: W QF3 vs. W QF4 | 18:00 | International Stadium Yokohama |
| 47 | Friday, Nov. 1 | – | Bronze final | 18:00 | Tokyo Stadium |
| 48 | Saturday, Nov. 2 | – | Final | 18:00 | International Stadium Yokohama |
2019 Rugby World Cup TV Channels List
In the RWC 2019, the helm of broadcaster will not be in the domestic provider’s hand. The officials appointed the IGBS – International Games Broadcast Services to handle the content broadcast for the world distribution. They will use the production resources and work together with all of the participating countries to distribute the quality content of the RWC 2019.
Check the Rugby World Cup 2019 TV Broadcaster List
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Albania | DigitAlb |
| Australia | Fox Sports|Network Ten |
| Belgium | Telenet |
| Brazil | ESPN |
| Czech Republic | Pragosport |
| Fiji | Fiji TV |
| France | TF1 Group |
| Georgia | GPB |
| Germany | ProSiebenSat.1 Media |
| Hong Kong | beIN Sports |
| Ireland | Eir Sport|RTÉ |
| Japan | J Sports|NHK|Nippon TV |
| Kosovo | DigitAlb |
| Latin America | ESPN |
| Malaysia | RTM |
| MENA | beIN Sports |
| Netherlands | Ziggo Sport |
| New Zealand | TVNZ|Spark |
| Nordic | NENT |
| Pacific Islands | Fiji TV |
| Poland | Polsat |
| Portugal | Sport TV |
| Russia | Match TV |
| Romania | TVR |
| Slovakia | Pragosport |
| Southeast Asia | beIN Sports |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | SuperSport |
| United Kingdom | ITV|S4C |
| United States | NBCUniversal |
| Canada | TSN |
| Italy | Sky Sports |
The officials also stated that they will stream the tournament in the official site of the Rugby World Cup for specific matches, but not all of them. For those who are on flight when the event happens, you could tune in the Sport24 since it is the right holder of the in-flight or in-ship broadcast.
How to watch and live stream Rugby World Cup 2019
There are numerous ways to watch and live stream the Rugby World Cup 2019. There is a free option as well if you are subscribing to the official live streaming service since you don’t need to spend extra money to enjoy the coverage. The best way to watch and live stream the Rugby World Cup 2019 is by using the official services based on the country you are living or travelling.
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is a prevalent live streaming option for people in the US. To access it, you will need a cable or live streaming subscription. Whether you are cutting the cord or not, credentials are all you need to get the access.
ITV Hub
ITV Hub is the channel offered for the viewers in the UK. The ITV Hub basically gives access to the full coverage of the upcoming RWC 2019 for completely free. There is no charge that you should worry about when you are in the UK. However, the free version of ITV Hub service comes with ads. If you are okay with some ads intervening the content, you are good to go. For some folks, ads are just annoying. If you don’t like it, consider to upgrade to ITV Hub+ for only 3.99 Euros per month. It delivers the live streaming service without ads.
TSN Direct
TSN is the official channel that broadcasts the RWC 2019 content in Canada. It covers all of the 48 matches in the event. The TSN Direct is the name of the live streaming service provided by the channel. You don’t need to have cable subscription to enjoy the service. Get the TSN DirecTV now to watch it in Canada.
MYTF1
MYTF1 is the live streaming service provided by TF1, the main broadcasting right holder of RWC 2019 in France. Consider to install MYTF1 to catch up with the event when you are in France.
Spark Sport
Spark Sport is the live streaming channel in New Zealand. Consider to get this when you are living or traveling in New Zealand. For those who are not fond of paying the service, you could use the service for free by using its 30-day free trial.
Fox Sports, Tenplay, Kayo Sports
The three names we mentioned above are the live streaming option that you can take when you are traveling or living in Australia.
Fox Sports is going to cover all of 48 matches so it can be your no.1 choice if you want to follow the overall festivity.
Watching Rugby World Cup 2019 without cable
If you are cord cutter, you’d like to stick with the top rated paid live streaming services we mentioned below.
- FuboTV – the live streaming service that focuses on sport content. It comes with a 7-day free trial which you can use to watch RWC 2019 for free.
- AT&T Now – Formerly known as DirecTV Now, it offers fantastic collection of TV channels with abundant features. It offers a 7-day free trial in case you want to watch RWC 2019 for free.
- Sling TV – It can be the most affordable live streaming service you’ve ever found on the net. It also comes with a free trial for watching RWC for free.
- Hulu with Live TV – Coming with 7-day free trial, it is worth checking since it offers fantastic features as well.
- YouTube TV – a great choice if your house has more than one channels watchers.
- Rugby Pass – A great choice for global rugby fans. It only costs fifteen bucks per month. But it is only available in selected regions.