2023 Rugby World Cup Fixtures & Results - France and New Zealand set for battle in tournament opener

Ralph Staniforth

Editor

Last updated: 05 Sep 2023

Ralph Staniforth 05 Sep 2023

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The 2023 Rugby World Cup kicks off on Friday, 8 September 2023
Final takes place on 28 October 2023
France will host the 2023 Rugby Union World Cup
South Africa are the defending world champions

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France host the 2023 Rugby World Cup (Getty Images)

The 2023 Rugby Union World Cup gets underway in France on 8 September 2023 with the final being played on 28 October.

South Africa are the defending champions after beating England 32-12 in the 2019 final hosted by Japan. The tournament will kick off with a blockbuster fixture when hosts France play New Zealand at the Stade de France.

Those are the two bookies' favourites at the moment and that is not likely to change much before the tournament kicks off. South Africa will once again be a contender along with England and Ireland.

Other outsiders will include Australia and Wales.

2023 Rugby World Cup Fixtures

Date	Game	Venue
8 Sept	France vs New Zealand	Stade de France
9 Sept	Namibia vs Italy	Saint-Etienne
9 Sept	Europe 2 vs Ireland	Bordeaux
9 Sept	Australia vs Portugal	Stade de France
9 Sept	Argentina vs England	Marseille
10 Sept	Scotland vs South Africa	Marseille
10 Sept	Fiji vs Wales	Bordeaux
10 Sept	Samoa vs Japan	Toulouse
14 Sept	France vs Uruguay	Lille
15 Sept	Namibia vs New Zealand	Toulouse
16 Sept	Romania vs Ireland	Nantes
16 Sept	Wales vs Portugal	Nice
16 Sept	Ireland vs Samoa	Bordeaux
17 Sept	South Africa vs Romania	Bordeaux
17 Sept	Australia vs Fiji	Saint-Etienne
20 Sept	Italy vs Uruguay	Nice
21 Sept	France vs Namibia	Marseille
22 Sept	Argentina vs Samoa	Saint-Etienne
23 Sept	Georgia vs Portugal	Toulouse
23 Sept	England vs Chile	Lille
23 Sept	South Africa vs Ireland	Saint-Denis
24 Sept	Scotland vs Tonga	Nice
24 Sept	Wales vs Australia	Lyon
27 Sept	Uruguay vs Nambia	Lyon
28 Sept	Japan vs Samoa	Toulouse
29 Sept	New Zealand vs Italy	Lyon
30 Sept	Argentina vs Chile	Nantes
30 Sept	Fiji vs Georgia	Bordeaux
30 Sept	Scotland vs Romania	Lille
1 Oct	Australia vs Portugal	Saint-Etienne
1 Oct	South Africa vs Tonga	Marseille
5 Oct	New Zealand vs Uruguay	Lyon
6 Oct	France vs Italy	Lyon
7 Oct	Wales vs Georgia	Nantes
7 Oct	England vs Samoa	Lille
7 Oct	Ireland vs Scotland	Saint-Denis
8 Oct	Japan vs Argentina	Nantes
8 Oct	Samoa vs Chile	Lille
8 Oct	Fiji vs Portugal	Toulouse
14 Oct	Winner Pool C vs Runner-Up Pool D	Marseille
14 Oct	Winner Pool B vs Runner-Up Pool A	Saint-Denis
15 Oct	Winner Pool D vs Runner-Up Pool C	Marseille
15 Oct	Winner Pool A vs Runner-Up Pool D	Saint-Denis
20 Oct	Winner Quarter-Final 1 vs Winner Quarter-Final 2	Saint-Denis
21 Oct	Winner Quarter-Final 3 vs Winner Quarter-Final 4	Saint-Denis
27 Oct	Loser Semi-Final 1 vs Loser Semi-Final 2	Saint-Denis
28 Oct	FINAL	Saint-Denis

Ralph Staniforth is a South African sports journalist, editor and betting writer who has worked in sports media since 2012.

With a background in Sports Science, he has covered a wide range of sports and interviewed leading players and coaches across South African rugby, cricket and football.

His sports betting work covers both South African and international markets, combining his knowledge of sport with extensive experience analysing fixtures, teams, form and betting markets.

Ralph specialises in football and rugby, while also covering cricket, tennis and golf. His work includes match previews, betting tips, betting guides and broader analysis of the sports betting industry.

You can find more from Ralph at Muckrack and LinkedIn.