Thanks to Japan win, the Canadian men are headed back to the Rugby World Cup

Canada's Matthew Oworu (left) and Lucas Rumball (7) celebrate a try against Spain during second half men's rugby action in Edmonton, on Friday July 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

The Canadian men are headed back to the Rugby World Cup.

Canada, ranked 24th in the world, qualified for the 2027 tournament in Australia by virtue of No. 13 Japan’s 47-21 win over the 18th-ranked United States in Pacific Nations Cup play in Sacramento on Saturday.

The result meant Canada (1-1-0) finishes second behind Japan (2-0-0) in Pool B and can place no lower than fourth at the six-team tournament.

The Pacific Nations Cup serves as a World Cup qualifier, sending three teams to the sport’s showcase in 2027 in Australia. But with No. 9 Fiji and Japan already qualified by virtue of their performance at the 2023 World Cup and guaranteed to finish in the top four at the Pacific Nations Cup, Canada has assured itself one of those automatic berths by joining them in the semifinals.

Fiji downed No. 14 Samoa 29-15 in Rotorua, New Zealand, on Friday to complete Pool A play. That result earned No. 17 Tonga, the runner-up in Pool A, a ticket to the World Cup.

Canada opened Pool B play by defeating the U.S. 34-10 on Aug. 22 in Calgary, before losing 57-50 to Japan eight days later in Sendai.

The Pacific Nations Cup semifinals and fifth-versus-sixth game are scheduled for Sept. 14 in Denver, with the championship and third-place game Sept. 20 in Salt Lake City.

Canada will play Fiji (2-0-0) in one semifinal, while Japan faces Tonga (1-1-0) in the other. The U.S. (0-2-0) meets Samoa (0-2-0) for fifth place.

Thanks to Fiji and Japan, the fifth-place team also qualifies for the World Cup.

The Canadian men missed out on the World Cup for the first time in 2023, losing two-legged qualifying series to the U.S. (59-50) and Chile (54-26). Canada had been to the nine previous tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals in 1991.

No. 16 Uruguay became the 20th team to qualify, beating No. 20 Chile to win the 2025 Sudaméricano on Saturday. The Uruguayans won the two-legged playoff with a 46-37 aggregate score despite losing the second leg 21-18 in Montevideo. Uruguay’s 12-point win in Santiago a week ago was enough to overcome the return-leg loss.

Chile will face the sixth-place team from the Pacific Nations Cup — either the U.S. or Samoa — in a playoff scheduled for Sept. 20 in Salt Lake City and Sept. 27 in Santiago, with the winner advancing to the World Cup and the loser entering the Final Qualification Tournament in November for one final chance to qualify.

The 2027 World Cup will feature 24 teams, up from 20 in 2023.

Canada’s return to the World Cup was guided by new coach Steve Meehan, an Australian who has been at the Canadian helm for four games.

Meehan, who took over after Kingsley Jones stepped down in December, is now 1-3-0 at the helm. Canada was beaten 25-18 by No. 22 Belgium and 24-23 by No. 15 Spain in July in Edmonton.

Canada finished sixth in last year’s Pacific Nations Cup, beaten 30-17 by Tonga after group stage losses to the U.S. (28-15) and Japan (55-28).

The Pacific Nations Cup is sponsored by Asahi.

The Canadian women, ranked second in the world, are currently in England competing in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Canada takes on seventh-ranked Australia next in quarterfinal action.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2025.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press