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Dubai is set to host six teams for WXV 3 later this year. Fiji, Ireland, Kazakhstan and Kenya have all been confirmed to play in WXV 3 and two spots remain to be filled by the winner of the two-leg play-off between Colombia and Brazil and the loser of the play-off between Italy and Spain. Colombia will host Brazil in Medellin on 5th and 9th July, while Italy host Spain on 22 July in Piacenza.
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WXV 3 will be supported by UAE Rugby Federation and hosted at The Sevens Stadium, which has previously hosted world-class international competitions including the Emirates Dubai 7s and Rugby World Cup qualifiers for men’s and women’s teams.
World Rugby has already announced that WXV 1 will be played in three cities across New Zealand in Wellington (Sky Stadium), Dunedin (Forsyth Barr Stadium) and Auckland (Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart) from 20 October to 4 November.
At the culmination of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations in April this year, England, France and Wales secured their places in WXV 1 due to being the top three finishers. They will be joined by the top three teams from this year’s World Rugby Pacific Four Series, which features Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA and starts on the 29th June.
Japan, Samoa, Scotland and South Africa occupy four of the six spots in WXV 2 with the remaining two to be determined by the lowest-placed team in the Pacific Four Series and the winner of the Italy versus Spain play-off. The venue for WXV 2 in Cape Town will be announced in due course.
Sally Horrox, World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby said: “We are excited to confirm Dubai as host of WXV 3. We have a longstanding relationship with the fantastic team at The Sevens Stadium and we can’t wait to work closely with them again as we bring women’s rugby to our fans in Asia once more. Competition is fierce as teams compete to secure their place. We look forward to seeing who joins Fiji, Ireland, Kenya and Kazakhstan in WXV 3.”
Mohamed Sultan AlZaabi, Secretary General, UAE Rugby Federation, added: “The United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation is delighted to host the WXV 3 event. As a host of the iconic Emirates Dubai 7s, we look forward to becoming a hub for more world-level rugby events.
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“This event also allows us to support the growth of women’s rugby which has seen a sharp increase and we hope it can also help inspire the next generation of players.
“We extend a warm welcome to all participating teams and fans, and believe we create an electrifying atmosphere that showcases the spirit of rugby in the heart of the United Arab Emirates.”
WXV is being supported by partners Mastercard, Capgemini and Gallagher, with World Rugby also injecting multi-million pound investment funding over an initial two-year period in the sprint to an expanded 16-team Rugby World Cup 2025 which will be held in England.
