World Rugby has confirmed the pools and fixtures for the 2024 season of the WXV competition.
The WXV1 will be hosted by Canada in Vancouver with the WXV2 is set to be hosted by South Africa in Cape Town and Stellenbosch. The WXV3 will be hosted by Dubai.
Starting on Friday, 27 September, and spanning three weekends until Saturday, 12 October, the three-tier tournament will feature 27 matches played worldwide. Dubai (WXV 3) and South Africa (WXV 2) will host again after welcoming six teams each in 2023, with Canada debuting as the host of WXV 1 in 2024.
The WXVI will start with USA taking on England and hosts Canada locking horns with France. Ireland, who managed to qualify for the top level will take on the Black Ferns in the opening round.
Meanwhile, WXV 2 will see South Africa taking on Japan while Australia will be facing Wales. Italy will also be opening their tournament with a clash against Scotland.
“We are delighted to reveal the fixtures for what is set to be an incredibly exciting and important second edition of WXV," said World Rugby Chief of Women's Rugby Sally Horrox.
“With six Women’s Rugby World Cup places up for grabs, teams will be vying to secure qualification by ranking as highly as possible at the end of the tournament. No doubt, there will be some exhilarating matches, some new match ups and star players that will captivate fans around the world.
“We look forward to welcoming 18 of the top teams to Dubai, Cape Town and Vancouver in September, WXV is the next important milestone on the road to the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England"