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While many supporters in the UK concentrate on club early-season fortunes or debate upcoming autumn internationals, the contest for World Cup 2027 qualification continues unabated.

Chile's Historic Achievement

Chile secured their back-to-back spot at the tournament with a sensational playoff victory over Samoa recently, leaving only a single place left up for grabs for the host nation in two years. At the same time, Paraguay stunned Brazil 39-19 in the opening match of their qualifying series.

The second leg takes place this Saturday in the Brazilian city, near São Paulo, while Brazil's squad attempts to follow their women's success and qualify for the first occasion.

Upcoming Qualifying Clash

Regardless of Paraguay manages a surprise aggregate victory, or Brazil recovers after head coach their coach's recent dismissal, the participants for next month's Dubai qualification tournament will then be finalized. Namibia, Belgium, and Samoa are already confirmed spots for the Dubai-based competition from 8-18 November.

Worldwide Qualifying Updates

Several additional teams have also secured their places. Hong Kong China achieved maiden World Cup entry following defeating Korea 70-22 in July, while the Zimbabwean squad will make a comeback to rugby union's premier tournament for the first time in over three decades by virtue of winning the African championship.

Chile's Rising Profile

The consequence of Chile's qualifying triumph means that Los Condores will play against Italy for the first time in November during the fall test series, taking the place of Samoa who are obligated to compete in Dubai.

The global governing body's chief executive described Chile an "thrilling and fast-emerging force" in confirming the upcoming fixture in the Italian city. As domestic the sport promotional efforts aim for larger crowds, rugby in Chile is buoyant. A capacity crowd of more than twenty thousand saw the playoff victory in Viña del Mar, and manager Pablo Lemoine has led the squad on an improving path since taking over in recent years.

Manager's Impressive Legacy

The 50-year-old ex- Uruguay international forward has been making an impact for many years: recruited by the English club in the 1990s, he famously broke through the English defensive line to touch down at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

His influence as national coach has been similarly powerful: Chile have climbed to 17th, their highest-ever ranking. During the previous World Cup in Europe, they were beaten four times, allowing 215 points and registering twenty-seven, featuring a heavy defeat to England.

Nevertheless, they proudly found the positives, and after the tournament draw in Sydney on 3 December, Lemoine can start preparations in earnest. They faced the Scottish team previously, defeated by a significant margin before twenty-four thousand fans, and although they were beaten across both matches by Uruguay in the first 2027 playoff, they achieved a 21-18 win on the road in the Uruguayan capital.

Samoa's Qualifying Challenge

Samoa, meanwhile, have not missed all Rugby World Cup since 1991, but are currently sitting in 16th position in the men's rankings. They were without a victory in the recent regional tournament, leading to qualifying disappointment versus Chile, and the requirement to meet nations such as Belgium brings additional difficulty for the rugby-loving country.

Tournament Format Changes

Beyond individual nations' performances, it is important to consider how changed the larger tournament will look in the next edition. For the first time, there will be a knockout stage with six groups of four teams rather than four pools of five. Group phase jeopardy is significantly reduced because the four best third-place teams will additionally advance.

Hosts and Rankings Consequences

The hosts, Australia, are currently ranked seventh in the global rankings, meaning they would miss out on a top seed and could face either South Africa, the All Blacks, the Irish, the French, England, or Argentina in their group. They could climb into the highest seeds during a busy November, though: England, Italy, Ireland, and the French team are their opponents, with a game against Japan in the capital additionally planned for 25 October.

Wales, meanwhile, are teetering in twelfth place, with Japan behind, and the implications of dropping to 13th and into pot three are possibly significant.

Americas Presence and Future Tournaments

Another new dimension for 2027 is the presence of five nations from the American continent: the Argentine team, Uruguay, USA, the Canadian team, and Chile – with either Paraguay or Brazil possibly becoming the sixth. From the governing body's perspective, engagement from the Americas is positive, particularly with the 2031 World Cup set to be hosted by the USA, and the host selection for the 2035 tournament was launched last month.

Current Priority

For now, though. The second installment of Brazil v Paraguay prepares a four-way Dubai shootout, combined with a possible standings change across the European nations in the coming month. No matter the outcome, Chile's qualification for a second Rugby World Cup has undoubtedly established them as a resounding success story.