Auckland, NZ – The Rugby World Cup 2021 schedule has been announced with the USA Women’s XVs National Team set to play the opening match against Europe I on Friday, Sept. 17 (7:45 p.m. ET) at the Northland Events Center.
Pool play continues on Wednesday, Sept 22 (7:45 p.m. ET) and Monday, Sept 27 (9:15 p.m. ET) with the U.S. facing rival Canada and Asia I, respectively. The USA-Canada match marks the first time North America’s greatest rivals have met in the pool stages.
Knockout stages take place as follows:
- Saturday, Oct 2 – Quarterfinals begin at 8:15p ET
- Friday, Oct 8 – Semifinals begin at 11:30p ET
- Friday, Oct 15 – Finals begin at 11:30p ET
Click here to view the full Rugby World Cup 2021 match schedule in local time. Matches will feature on NBC Sports’ family of networks in the U.S. with exact channels to be announced closer to date.
Quarterfinals include the top two from each pool and the two best third-placed teams. Nations are seeded 1-8 based on the position they finish in their respective groups and most competition points scored, with seed 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, and 4 vs. 5. Bonus points return for Rugby World Cup 2021.
Women’s Eagles Head Coach Rob Cain said:
“What a wonderful opportunity for us to open the Rugby World Cup. The importance and significance of this won’t be lost on us as a group. This is an exciting occasion to put down our marker on the tournament; and with all eyes on the game itself, we can make some new fans along the way.”
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said:
“With less than eight months to go until Rugby World Cup 2021 kicks off in New Zealand, anticipation and excitement is really starting to build for fans and players worldwide. There is a very real, unstoppable momentum building behind the rise of women in rugby now and 2021 will be a year like no other, providing a unique opportunity to continue to accelerate the growth and profile of the sport, as women’s rugby rightly is set to own center stage this year.”