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The 2025 tournament proved a turning point – captivating new audiences, driving record broadcast figures, and inspiring thousands of young girls to pick up a rugby ball for the first time. A year on, that legacy is delivering tangible results at every level of the sport, from grassroots pathways to elite international competitions.
This weekend sees the final round of the WXV Global Series Challenger, hosted by Hong Kong China Rugby. The 2026 champions will be crowned, with Fiji and the Netherlands the top two in the table. Elsewhere, every Women’s Six Nations side hosts a touring team, including world champions England who return to Allianz Stadium to face New Zealand on this landmark anniversary weekend.
WXV Global Series fuels elite competition
Created in partnership with 18 unions, the WXV Global Series is transforming the international 15s calendar on the road to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 in Australia.
Running across September and October, the WXV Global Series will see the world’s top 18 teams contest more than 100 matches between 2026 and 2028. Under the new model, the top 12 teams compete in a home-and-away touring framework, driving team competitiveness and commercial growth whilst offering unions guaranteed home content.
A further six teams contest the WXV Global Series Challenger, with Hong Kong hosting the 2026 edition across three weekends in September.
Transforming grassroots and pathways with Rugby Rising Play
At the grassroots level, World Rugby’s girls’ participation programme, Rugby Rising Play, celebrates its two-year anniversary during WXV with the launch of a report highlighting its reach and impact. Designed to recruit and retain teenage girls aged 11-18, the 10-session programme prepares participants to transition smoothly into non-contact T1 Rugby and beyond.
Key impacts from Rugby Rising Play’s first two years include:
25,162 total girls directly benefiting from the sessions
975 trained workforce members delivering the programme in 2025
32 further member unions joined in 2026 bringing the total to 63 unions supported globally
Participants reported growth in confidence, self-discipline, friendships and sense of belonging
Since RWC 2025, 68 unions have committed to grow participation globally by 50 per cent to 3.4 million women and girls playing by 2029. This is up from 53 unions earlier in 2026.
This coincides with the RFU’s Impact ‘25 report, which shows that more than 40,000 young girls (aged 6-12) have been introduced to rugby through the tournament’s legacy initiatives. Previously released reports include the Women’s RWC 2025 Impact Report and World Rugby’s Impact Beyond 2025 Global Report.
Coaching, careers and player welfare
World Rugby continues to prioritise women’s player welfare, education, and off-pitch opportunity to sustain the game’s growth:
The Women’s Health Webinar Series covers pelvic, period and breast health and knee injury prevention, giving the wider game practical tools. The first two webinars attracted 780 attendees with the final webinar in November.
A refreshed digital Women in Coaching toolkit supporting unions and the wider rugby community in recruiting, developing, and retaining more female coaches at every level of the game.
The 2026 Women in Rugby Careers Programme is supporting more than 250 women across 91 countries, expanding leadership capability across rugby’s global workforce.
Commercial growth and looking ahead to 2029
The commercial appeal of the women’s game also continues to grow with World Rugby welcoming Emirates, Asahi, Visa, LIQUI MOLY, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Gilbert, Macron and Ticketmaster as partners across both the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029. Mitsubishi Electric has also come on board as the Presenting Partner of the WXV Global Series from 2026-28.
World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 was a defining moment for the game, but its lasting impact is enduring. Core commitments in our 2026-31 Strategic Plan provide unions with greater competition certainty, commercial growth, and clear pathways.
“From Rugby Rising Play to our evolved WXV Global Series, we are building a sustainable ecosystem in partnership with our unions as we drive momentum toward Australia 2029.”
World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby, Sally Horrox added: “One year ago, Women’s RWC 2025 set a new benchmark for women’s sport, proving the passion and potential that exists within our game.
“Our focus has been translating that historic tournament into long-term, sustainable growth. From the expansion of the WXV Global Series to record numbers of young girls joining Rugby Rising Play, momentum behind the women’s game has never been stronger as we set a clear course for the next three years.”
Fans can follow all the weekend’s WXV Global Series action live at wxvrugby.com, via RugbyPass TV or their local broadcaster.
More information on World Rugby’s women’s programmes and initiatives can be found here.
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