Tonga have qualified for the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, after reaching the semi-finals of the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup.
Their qualification for the semi-finals was confirmed after Fiji, the reigning champions, beat Samoa 29 – 15 in Rotorua.
This means that Tonga have finished second in Pool A, as they also defeated Samoa 30 – 16 earlier in the group stage.
How have Tonga qualified for Australia 2027?
The Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup is more than just an opportunity to increase silverware for the competing nations.
The top three unqualified teams also gain immediate qualification to the next Men’s Rugby World Cup – and given that Fiji and Japan are already pre-qualified after the 2023 World Cup, this means that all semi-finalists will achieve qualification.
Who else has qualified for Australia 2027 so far?
South Africa, Japan, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Argentina all automatically had their place for Australia 2027.
Georgia, Spain, Portugal and Romania also earnt qualification off the back of the Rugby Europe Men’s Cup 202
Zimbabwe recently secured their spot as winners of the Rugby Africa Men’s Cup 2025, with Namibia also qualifying as runners-up.
How will the Men’s World Cup 2027 tournament work?
Tonga is the 19th nation to qualify for the competition, which will be the largest iteration of the tournament, as it has been expanded to a huge 24 teams.
With this new expansion, there will be six pools of four nations for the initial group rounds, leading into a knockout round of 16 countries.
The draw will be announced in December 2025, where teams will find out who they are against in the group rounds.
Rugby news and related content