FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - England v New Zealand - Twickenham Stadium, London, Britain - September 14, 2024 England's Ellie Kildunne and teammates celebrate after the match Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) -Hosts and favourites England were grouped with Australia and the United States while six-times winners New Zealand will face an awkward clash with Ireland after the draw for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup was made on Thursday.
Reflecting huge growth in the women’s game, the tournament will feature an expanded format of 16 teams compared to 12 at RWC 2021 in New Zealand, with the "big four" of England, New Zealand, Canada and France seeded first in their pools.
The match schedule will be released on Oct. 22, when the path to the final will also be revealed. It is likely that if England and New Zealand top their pools they will avoid each other until the final, though that is yet to be confirmed by World Rugby.
England, who have won 50 of their last 51 matches, the 2021 World Cup final defeat by New Zealand being the only aberration, also have Samoa in their group, but will expect to advance comfortably.
"It is going to be a tough pool, it's going to pose us questions," said veteran England forward Marlie Packer. "But I think that's really good for us because we don't want to get into the knockout stages not having being posed questions.
"Australia have come on leaps and bounds and (former England scrumhalf and captain) Jo Yat obviously has a lot of English history, which kind of adds to the magic of the fixture."
New Zealand will give the utmost respect to Ireland, who beat them in the WXV last month and shocked them in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup. Japan and Spain complete the pool.
Canada, runners-up in 2014, will face Scotland, Wales and Fiji, while France, who have finished third seven times but never made a final, take on Italy, South Africa and tournament debutants Brazil.
New Zealand have been the dominant force since the first tournament in 1991, with England (twice) and the United States the only other nations to triumph.
New Zealand have won the last two finals against England, who have been runners-up six times but beat New Zealand twice recently.
The tournament will be held across eight venues from Aug. 22-Sept. 27 with the opening game at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
Six locations will hold pool matches, including Brighton and Hove, Exeter, Salford, Northampton and York. Exeter and Bristol will stage the quarter-finals with the latter also hosting both semis.
The final at Twickenham, London on Sept. 27 is expected to be an 82,000 sellout, which would be the biggest crowd ever to watch a women’s international.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ed Osmond)
