ITV will broadcast every match of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia live and free-to-air across the UK, after World Rugby named the broadcaster as its exclusive domestic partner for the tournament (World Rugby).

All 52 games are covered, from the opening fixture on 1 October 2027 — hosts Australia against Hong Kong — through to the final (BBC Sport). The deal makes ITV the home of men's rugby's showpiece event for a tenth consecutive edition, a run stretching back to 1991.

World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin called the agreement "a statement of intent to ensure that everyone in the UK can experience and be inspired by one of the world's iconic sporting events" (BBC Sport).

ITV reportedly saw off competition from the BBC to land the rights (SportsPro). The public broadcaster had held shared rights to previous tournaments, but the 2027 edition will sit exclusively with ITV in the UK.

The 2027 tournament will look different from any World Cup before it. For the first time, 24 teams will compete — up from the 20 that contested the 2023 edition in France — and a last-16 knockout round has been added to the format (BBC Sport). More teams, more matches, more rugby.

ITV's rugby portfolio is already deep. The broadcaster previously secured the 2026 and 2028 editions of the Nations Championship — rugby union's annual international competition — along with the majority of Six Nations fixtures up to and including 2029, in a shared-rights deal with BBC Sport (BBC Sport). Adding the World Cup means ITV will carry the sport's biggest international event on top of its regular calendar.

For UK fans, the upshot is simple: turn on the television, and the 2027 World Cup is there. No subscription, no paywall — just 52 matches of international rugby, starting with Australia versus Hong Kong on the opening night.

The tournament runs across October 2027, with matches staged in Australia. By the time the opening whistle blows, it will have been four years since South Africa lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in Paris. ITV will be there to see who takes it next.