BBC’s The One Show to host Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 draw

The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 draw will be made live on the BBC’s The One Show next Thursday, October 17th.

World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi will join BBC Sport’s Gabby Logan and a presenter from the primetime chat show to conduct the draw, which will take place at 19:20 (GMT+1) and be streamed to those outside of the UK via RugbyPass TV.

World Rugby also announced that the match schedule will be released on October 22nd. It has already been confirmed that England will play the opening match in Sunderland and their remaining two pool matches in Northampton and Brighton.

Demand for tickets for the expanded 16-team tournament has so far exceeded supply, with more than 60,000 snapped up for the opening match at the Stadium of Light and finals day at Twickenham during the initial sales window last month.

This weekend is a pivotal one on the road to the World Cup, which organisers say will be the largest sporting event staged in England in 2025, as the full line-up will be decided following the final round of WXV 2024.

Hosts England and reigning champions New Zealand are among the 10 teams that have already made sure of their place at the showpiece tournament. They will be joined by Canada, France, Brazil, Ireland, South Africa, Japan, USA and Fiji.

The four non-qualified teams currently playing in WXV 2 – Australia, Italy, Scotland and Wales – are guaranteed to secure their passage to the World Cup at the completion of their matches in Cape Town.

That leaves Spain, Samoa, Hong Kong China and the Netherlands competing for the remaining two tickets in the United Arab Emirates this Friday and Saturday.

Commenting on the announcement, Sarah Massey, Managing Director of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, said: "This is a significant milestone as fans will be able to plan their Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 experience.

“With over 60,000 tickets already sold, the demand and enthusiasm across the country is clear. We look forward to announcing the match schedule and expect high demand across the tournament and all around the country.”

Editor of The One Show, Joanne Vaughan Jones, added: "We’re excited that the Women’s Rugby World Cup will be coming to England, it’s a big moment for women’s sport across the whole of the UK and we’re delighted to be teaming up with BBC Sport to bring One Show viewers right to the heart of these very special announcements."

How will the draw work?

The 16 qualified teams will be given a seeding and placed into four bands depending on their position in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings on Monday, October 14th.

The top four teams will be placed into band one, the second four teams into band two and so on.

One team from each band will be drawn into each of the four pools so that each pool contains one team from band one, one team from band two, one team from band three and one team from band four.

How can you buy tickets for Women’s RWC 2025?

All fans will have the opportunity to apply for tickets for all matches from 11:00 (GMT +1) on Tuesday, November 5th until 11:00 (GMT+1) on Tuesday, November 19th. Ballots will be used for any price categories which are oversubscribed.

Prior to the two-week ticket application phase, Mastercard is offering its cardholders access to a 48-hour priority sale for all matches from 11:00 (GMT +1) on Tuesday, October 22nd until 11:00 (GMT+1) on Thursday, October 24th.

Only Mastercard debit and credit cards will be accepted during this priority window.

Fans can register their interest for tickets to Women’s RWC 2025 here.