Upcoming tournament 2025 Rugby World Cup | |
 Rugby World Cup logo | |
| Sport | Women's rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 6 April 1991 |
| Number of teams | 12; 1991 — 1994 & 2006 — 2021 16; 1998 — 2002 & 2025 |
| Regions | Worldwide (World Rugby) |
| Holders |  New Zealand (6th title) |
| Most titles | New Zealand (6 titles) |
| Website | rugbyworldcup.com |
| Tournaments |
|---|
The Women's Rugby World Cup is the women's rugby union world championship which is organised by World Rugby. The first Rugby World Cup for women was held in 1991, but it was not until the 1998 tournament that the tournament received official backing from the International Rugby Board (IRB, now World Rugby); by 2009, the IRB had retroactively recognized the 1991 and 1994 tournaments and their champions.[1]
Normally, the tournament is held every four years; it was moved forward in 2017 so that the competition could be held in the year before the Commonwealth Games. The 2021 tournament was postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but still marketed as the 2021 Rugby World Cup.
Three countries have won the women's Rugby World Cup since its establishment, with New Zealand having won the tournament a record six times.
Before 2019, the tournament was named the Women's Rugby World Cup. As part of an effort to promote greater parity between the championship and its men's counterpart, the Rugby World Cup, World Rugby announced in 2019 that the women's championship would be marketed as the Rugby World Cup with no gender designation beginning in 2021. This was changed in 2023, with branding for the 2025 tournament onwards reverting to the original name (with the men's tournaments to be re-branded to the Men's Rugby World Cup from the 2027 tournament onwards).[2]
- ^ "IRB press release". Archived from the original on 2 December 2013.
- ^ "New visual identity revealed as Rugby World Cup embraces exciting future and rugby's unique energy". www.world.rugby. World Rugby. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
In addition to the new logo, Rugby World Cup has also updated its host naming convention to now include Women's and Men's. The decision aims to promote unity across the tournament and provide clarity and consistency for fans. As the pinnacle of both the men's and women's 15s game, Rugby World Cup's progressive approach to naming gives both genders equal billing, in line with World Rugby's commitment to equality and inclusivity in the sport.