Women's Rugby World Cup - all you need to know

The 10th version of nan Women's Rugby World Cup takes spot successful England from 22 August to 27 September, pinch sum of each lucifer unrecorded connected nan BBC.

Host federation England person won their past 27 matches and are nan favourites to assistance nan trophy astatine Twickenham.

They statesman their title situation against nan United States successful Sunderland connected Friday evening.

Defending champions New Zealand, arsenic good Canada, France and Australia, will each fancy their chances of denying England a location victory.

Scotland, Wales and Ireland will each activity to impress, while world superstar Ilona Maher of nan United States will look to time off her people connected nan tournament.

The title has been expanded from nan 12 teams that took portion successful 2022, pinch 16 sides participating, including debutants Brazil.

BBC Sport has sum of nan tourney crossed web TV, iPlayer, integer platforms, radio, BBC Sounds and @BBCSport societal media channels.

Every lucifer involving England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland will beryllium shown unrecorded connected either BBC One aliases BBC Two, while each crippled will beryllium unrecorded connected nan BBC iPlayer and nan BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app.

There will besides beryllium unrecorded power commentary of each England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland lucifer connected Radio 5 Live aliases Sport Extra, arsenic good arsenic unrecorded matter coverage, highlights and reports connected nan BBC Sport website and app.

Sara Orchard and Ugo Monye will besides beryllium hosting regular editions of nan Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

Alongside regular editions of nan podcast fans tin besides tune successful to a typical play bid passim nan World Cup, Barely Rugby, hosted by comedian Harriet Kemsley and featuring England stars Hannah Botterman and Meg Jones.

In addition, location will beryllium further sum connected BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Foyle and BBC Radio Scotland.

Pool A: England, Australia, United States, Samoa

Pool B: Canada, Scotland, Wales, Fiji

Pool C: New Zealand, Ireland, Japan, Spain

Pool D: France, Italy, South Africa, Brazil

The apical 2 teams from each excavation suffice for nan knockout stage.

Going connected seedings that would mean England (1), Canada (2), New Zealand (3), France (4), Australia (5), Ireland (6), Scotland (7) and Italy (8) would each beforehand to nan past eight.

If apical seeds England triumph Pool A they would look a quarter-final against nan runners-up from Pool B, who are apt to beryllium either Scotland aliases Wales.

France are England's likeliest semi-final opponents, pinch Canada expected to look New Zealand successful nan different last-four tie, though Ireland will beryllium aiming to unit their measurement into nan reckoning.

The quarter-finals are connected 13 and 14 September successful Exeter and Bristol.

The semi-finals are connected 19 and 20 September successful Bristol.

The third-place play-off and nan World Cup last some return spot connected 27 September astatine Twickenham, pinch nan last kicking disconnected astatine 16:00 BST.

The lucifer will beryllium shown unrecorded connected BBC One and BBC iPlayer and location will besides beryllium unrecorded commentary connected BBC Radio 5 Live and nan BBC Sport website and app.

The winning squad will get to assistance a caller trophy. Weighing 4.5kg and opinionated 38cm tall, nan 2025 trophy is bigger than erstwhile incarnations and is crafted successful sterling metallic pinch 24-carat gold.

Canada number 8 Sophie de Goede, France scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus and New Zealand helping Portia Woodman-Wickliffe each featured successful our Global XV to watch retired astatine nan World Cup.

As did social sensation Ilona Maher.

In position of nan location nations, England full-back Ellie Kildunne is World Rugby's women's subordinate of nan twelvemonth and Wales' Jasmine Joyce-Butchers besides possesses game-breaking ability.

Powerful centre Emma Orr has been a standout performer for Scotland, while Ireland's injured number 8 Aoife Wafer, this year's Women's Six Nations subordinate of nan championship, is 1 to watch erstwhile backmost to afloat fitness.

Matches return spot astatine 8 venues:

The last astatine Twickenham has sold retired making it apt to beryllium nan biggest ever crowd for a one-off women's rugby match.

The existent grounds was besides group astatine Twickenham's 82,000 capacity Allianz Stadium erstwhile 58,498 watched England hit France successful nan 2023 Six Nations.

At Paris 2024, 66,000 watched nan opening time of nan women's rugby sevens astatine Stade de France.

Across nan 32-match tournament, which starts connected Friday 22 August, 375,000 of nan 470,000 tickets person already been sold, 3 times nan number sold astatine nan past World Cup successful New Zealand.

Recent Red Roses matches person pulled successful ample numbers of supporters. Crowds of 48,778 and 41,523 attended England wins complete Ireland and New Zealand astatine Twickenham past year.

The 2021 Rugby World Cup final, wherever England narrowly mislaid to New Zealand 34-31, was played successful beforehand of 42,579 astatine Eden Park.

There person been 9 Women's World Cups but only 3 nations person won it.

New Zealand person won nan tourney a grounds six times and person beaten England successful 5 of nan past six finals.

England person lifted nan trophy doubly - successful 1994 and astir precocious successful 2014.

The United States won nan inaugural tourney successful Cardiff.

2021: New Zealand 34-31 England, Eden Park, Auckland*

*competition postponed to 2022 because of Covid pandemic

2017: New Zealand 41-23 England, Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast

2014: England 21-9 Canada, Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris

2010: New Zealand 13-10 England, Twickenham Stoop, London

2006: New Zealand 25-17 England, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton

2002: New Zealand 19-9 England, Olympic Stadium, Barcelona

1998: New Zealand 44-12 USA, National Rugby Centre Stadium, Amsterdam

1994: England 38-23 USA, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh

1991: USA 19-6 England, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff

Friday 22 August

Pool A: England v USA (19:30), Stadium of Light - BBC One and BBC Radio 5 Live from 18:30

Saturday 23 August

Pool A: Australia v Samoa (12:00), Salford Community Stadium - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool B: Scotland v Wales (14:45), Salford Community Stadium - BBC One from 14:15 and BBC Radio Sports Extra 2 from 14:35

Pool B: Canada v Fiji (17:30), York Community Stadium - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool D: France v Italy (20:15), Sandy Park - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Sunday 24 August

Pool C: Ireland v Japan (12:00), Franklin's Gardens - BBC Two and BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle from 11:45 positive BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 11:50

Pool D: South Africa v Brazil (14:45), Franklin's Gardens - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool C: New Zealand v Spain (17:30), York Community Stadium - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Saturday 30 August

Pool B: Canada v Wales (12:00), Salford Community Stadium - BBC Two from 11:45 and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 11:50

Pool B: Scotland v Fiji (14:45), Salford Community Stadium - BBC Two from 14:15

Pool A: England v Samoa (17:00), Franklin's Gardens - BBC Two from 16:30 and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 16:55

Pool A: USA v Australia (19:30), York Community Stadium - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Sunday 31 August

Pool C: Ireland v Spain (12:00), Franklin's Gardens - BBC Two and BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle from 11:45, positive BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 11:50

Pool C: New Zealand v Japan (14:00), Sandy Park - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool D: Italy v South Africa (15:30), York Community Stadium - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool D: France v Brazil (16:45), Sandy Park - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Saturday 6 September

Pool B: Canada v Scotland (12:00), Sandy Park - BBC Two from 11:45

Pool A: USA v Samoa (13:30), York Community Stadium - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool B: Wales v Fiji (14:45), Sandy Park - BBC Two from 14:15

Pool A: England v Australia (17:00), Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium - BBC Two from 16:40

Sunday 7 September

Pool C: Japan v Spain (12:00), York Community Stadium - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool D: Italy v Brazil (14:00), Franklin's Gardens - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Pool C: New Zealand v Ireland (14:45), Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium - BBC Two from 14:30 and and BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle from 14:00,

Pool D: France v South Africa (16:45), Franklin's Gardens - iPlayer, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app

Saturday 13 September

Quarter-final 1: Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D (13:00), Sandy Park - BBC Two from 12:30

Quarter-final 2: Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A (16:00), Ashton Gate - BBC Two from 15:30

Sunday 14 September

Quarter-final 3: Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C (13:00), Sandy Park - BBC Two from 12:30

Quarter-final 4: Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B (16:00), Ashton Gate - BBC One from 15:30

Friday 19 September

Winner QF1 v Winner QF2 (19:00), Ashton Gate - BBC Two from 18:30

Saturday 20 September

Winner QF3 v Winner QF4 (15:30), Ashton Gate - BBC One from 14:45

Saturday 27 September

Third-place play-off final (12:30), Twickenham - BBC Two from 11:45

World Cup last (16:00), Twickenham - BBC One from 15:00