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Women's Rugby World Cup History - See all the previous winners, runners-up and scorelines from previous Rugby World Cup's

ralph-staniforth
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Last updated: 20 Aug 2025
Ralph Staniforth 20 Aug 2025
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  • First Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991, 3 champions since.
  • New Zealand leads with 6 wins and never lost a final.
  • England in 8 out of 9 finals, winning twice in 1994 and 2014.
black ferns Women Rugby
New Zealand are the most successful Women's Rugby World Cup team (Getty Images)

With the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup upon us, we take a quick look at the previous winners of the tournament. 

The first Women's Rugby World Cup was held in 1991, four years after the first men's event. It has since been played every four years, although there was just a three-year break between the first and second.

It is important to note that the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup was actually only played in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it is still known as the 2021 event.

The nine events have seen a total of only three winners. New Zealand have won the title six times while England have been winners twice. The USA won the very first World Cup back in 1991.

Coming into the 2025 event, New Zealand are the defending champions having won in 2017 and 2021 (2022). The Black Ferns have also never lost a final.

On the runners-up scale, Canada is the only new team to add who hasn't won it after they reached the 2014 final. The USA, after winning it in 1991, lost to England in both 1994 and 1998 in the final.

England have been the runners-up in five of New Zealand's six victorious years. In fact, England, while having only won it twice, have been in the final in eight of the nine tournaments. The only final the English missed out on was back in 1998 when New Zealand beat the United States.

Women's Rugby World Cup History


Year
Winner
Runner-Up
Final Score
1991 United States England 19–6
1994 England United States 38–23
1998 New Zealand United States 44–12
2002 New Zealand England 19–9
2006 New Zealand England 25–17
2010 New Zealand England 13–10
2014 England Canada 21–9
2017 New Zealand England 41–32
2021 New Zealand England 34–31

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