2023 Rugby World Cup Betting: What to Expect

The Rugby World Cup started in 1987 and is a global competition contested by men's national rugby teams every four years. The winning team receives the Webb Ellis Cup and the title of world champion. 

South Africa is the most recent winner, having won the 2019 title in Japan. For over 35 years, there have only been five teams that have made the finals, and they are:

South Africa

New Zealand

Australia

England

France

South Africa and New Zealand hold the record for the most wins. Each team has won the title three times. Australia has won two titles, England has only one title, and France is the only team to have reached a final but not won a championship, and they have done so three times. 

What to Expect From the Top Teams

The 2023 Rugby World Cup is hosted by France and begins on 8 September and ends on 28 October. Most predictions for the World Cup winner on new UK betting sites have three-time champion New Zealand and host France as the teams with the two best odds to win it all, and they are in the same group. However, there are still many matches before the final. Here’s what we expect to happen.

Pool A

Pool A has France and New Zealand in it, so we can expect these two teams to battle it out and advance to the playoffs. The teams in Pool A are:

Italy

France

New Zealand

Uruguay

Namibia

Pool B

Ireland’s impressive form has vaulted them to the top-ranked team in the world as of early August. This pool may be the toughest, as three teams are ranked in the top five in the world in Ireland, South Africa (#4), and Scotland (#5). South Africa has officially been named the underdogs on the Supersport official website. Teams in Pool B include:

Romania

Ireland

South Africa

Tonga

Scotland

Pool C

In Pool C, Australia is the favorite to move on, with either Georgia or Wales as the runner-up. The following teams are all in Pool C:

Georgia

Australia

Wales 

Portugal

Fiji

Pool D

England is the favorite team in Pool D, with either Japan or Argentina contending for the runner-up position. Pool D’s teams are as follows:

Argentina

England

Japan

Samoa

Chile

The Playoffs

The two top teams from each pool will advance to the knockout stage quarterfinals, which will be held on 14 and 15 October. The four winners from the quarterfinals will play each other in the semifinals on 20 and 21 October.

The third-place match occurs on 27 October, and the championship final is on 28 October. The final will be held at Stade de France, which has a capacity of over 80,000 and is the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. 

A lot can change between now and the finals, and truthfully, every team stands some chance regardless of our predictions, as all 20 teams participating are ranked in the top 22 in the world.