The Rugby World Cup, the premier event in women’s union 15s, is underway in New Zealand. The tournament began on October 8 and continues through November 12, 2022. Originally scheduled for 2021, the quadrennial competition was pushed back a year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Host New Zealand is the defending champion, while the U.S. will be aiming to return to the podium for the first time since 1998.

This year marks the first time the women’s tournament will be held under a gender-neutral name. In 2019, World Rugby announced that it would remove the word “women’s” from the World Cup name in order to match the non-gender-marked (men’s) World Cup.

See below for a brief overview of the tournament format and info on how to watch every Rugby World Cup game. This guide will be updated with results and scores throughout the tournament.

How to watch the Rugby World Cup — Full streaming/TV schedule

Fans in the United States can stream every game live on Peacock, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Some games will also air on CNBC.

Here is the complete TV and streaming schedule for all upcoming matches:

Friday night, October 21 into Saturday morning, October 22:

• Australia vs. Wales – 9:15-11:15 p.m. (Peacock)
• New Zealand vs. Scotland – 11:45 p.m.-1:45 a.m. (Peacock)
• France vs. Fiji – 2:15-4:15 a.m. (Peacock)

Saturday night, October 22 into Sunday morning, October 23: 

• Japan vs. Italy – 7:45-9:45 p.m. (Peacock)
• Canada vs. United States – 10:15 p.m.-12:15 a.m. (Peacock)
• England vs. South Africa – 12:45-2:45 a.m. (Peacock)

Sunday, October 23:

• Encore: Canada vs. United States – 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (CNBC*)

Friday night, October 28 into Saturday morning, October 29: 

• Quarterfinal 1 – 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Peacock)
• Quarterfinal 2 – 2:30-4:30 a.m. (Peacock)
• Encore: Quarterfinal 1 – 12:30-2:30 p.m. (CNBC*)

Saturday night, October 29 into Sunday morning, October 30: 

• Quarterfinal 3 – 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Peacock)
• Quarterfinal 4 – 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Peacock)

Friday night, November 4 into Saturday morning, October 5: 

• Semifinal 1 – 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Peacock)
• Semifinal 2 – 2:30-4:30 a.m. (Peacock)

Saturday, November 5:

• Encore: Semifinal 1 – 9-11 a.m. (CNBC*)

Friday night, November 11 into Saturday morning, October 12:

• Third Place – 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (Peacock)
• Championship – 1:30-3:30 a.m. (Peacock)

Saturday, November 12:

• Encore: Third Place – 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (CNBC*)
• Encore: Championship – 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (CNBC*)

Highlights of Team USA at the Rugby World Cup

USA vs. Italy Video:

USA vs. Japan Video:

Rugby World Cup — Scores and Results

Friday night, October 7 into Saturday morning, October 8:

• South Africa vs. France – 9:15-11:15 p.m. (Peacock)
• Fiji vs. England – 11:45 p.m.-1:45 a.m. (Peacock)
• Australia vs. New Zealand – 2:15-4:15 a.m. (Peacock)

Saturday night, October 8 into Sunday morning, October 9:

• United States vs. Italy – 7:45-9:45 p.m. (Peacock)
• Japan vs. Canada – 10:15 p.m.-12:15 a.m. (Peacock)
• Wales vs. Scotland – 12:45-2:45 a.m. (Peacock)

Friday night, October 14 into Saturday morning, October 15:

• Scotland vs. Australia – 10 p.m.-12 a.m. (Peacock)
• United States vs. Japan –12:30-2:30 a.m. (Peacock)
• France vs. England – 3-5 a.m. (Peacock)

Saturday, October 15 into Sunday morning, October 16:

• Italy vs. Canada – 7:45-9:45 p.m. (Peacock)
• Wales vs. New Zealand – 10:15 p.m.-12:15 a.m. (Peacock)
• Fiji vs. South Africa – 12:45-2:45 a.m. (Peacock)

Rugby World Cup – Tournament Format

The 12-team tournament begins with round-robin pool play. The three pools are as follows:

• Pool A: New Zealand, Australia, Wales, Scotland
• Pool B: Canada, United States, Italy, Japan
• Pool C: England, France, South Africa, Fifi

After pool play, the top two teams in each group — along with the two best third-place teams — will advance to the quarterfinals. The tournament progresses using a single-elimination bracket format.