Wales counting down the year until World Cup

Wales counting down the year until World CupImage source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Wales are preparing to play in an 11th World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1987ByGareth GriffithsBBC Sport WalesIt might be hard to believe how quickly it comes around, but today marks a year to go until the men's Rugby World Cup begins in Australia.The 2027 competition starts on 1 October in Perth with a showdown between Australia and Hong Kong China, with the tournament finale on 13 November in Sydney.Wales are to feature in the second game when they open their campaign against Zimbabwe in Adelaide on 2 October.Steve Tandy's side sit 11th in the world rankings, currently topped by reigning World Cup champions South Africa.The tournament has expanded from 20 to 24 teams, with the number of pools rising from four to six.All 12 teams that finished inside the top three of their pools at the 2023 World Cup - France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan - qualified automatically.Georgia, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Tonga, Canada, United States of America, Uruguay, Chile, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong China and Samoa all earned their places through qualifying tournaments.Dozen dates to impressWales have 12 or 13 potential matches across three blocks before they travel to Australia.Home Nations Championship matches are set to be staged against Japan, New Zealand and Australia in November, before a final play-off game at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.There will be five matches in the 2027 Six Nations, with trips to play France, Scotland and Italy and home fixtures in Cardiff against England and Ireland.Following the end of the 2026-27 domestic season, Wales will meet up in the summer for fitness camps, with past trips including visits to Poland, Switzerland and Turkey.There will be three or four World Cup warm-ups in the summer. The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has so far refused to publicly announce who they will face next August and September, or even how many games they will play.Tandy held alignment camps with more than 50 players in September, and the World Cup squad will eventually be whittled down to the final 33.Wales' World Cup opponentsWales have been drawn in Pool F alongside England, Tonga and Zimbabwe and will travel to play at three different venues.The opening game against Zimbabwe will be staged in Adelaide, followed by a six-day turnaround before they face Tonga in Melbourne.England await eight days later in Sydney on 16 October, before the expanded knockout stages.Next year's World Cup will feature 16 teams at the knockout phase, rather than the traditional eight who previously went straight to the quarter-finals.The top two teams from each of the six pools will progress to the last 16 alongside the four best third-place nations.If Wales were to win their group, they would play the runner-up from pool B, which contains South Africa, Italy, Georgia and Romania.Should Wales finish second, they would face the second-placed side in pool C, which is made up of Argentina, Fiji, Spain and Canada.South Africa and New Zealand, World Cup finalists in 2023, are destined to meet in the quarter-finals, set to be staged in Sydney and Brisbane, if they top their groups.The Olympic Stadium in Sydney will host both semi-finals and the bronze medal match, before staging the showpiece final on Saturday, 13 November.Wales' confirmed fixturesFigure caption, Rare Wales rugby archive revealed ahead of Nations Championship2026 Nations ChampionshipSaturday, 7 November: Wales v Japan, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, 16:40 GMTSaturday, 14 November: Wales v New Zealand, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, 14:10 GMTSaturday, 21 November: Wales v Australia, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, 20:10 GMTWeekend of November 27-29: Play-off matches, Allianz Stadium, TwickenhamSix Nations 2027Saturday, 6 February: France v Wales, Stade de France, Paris, 16:40 GMTSaturday, 13 February: Scotland v Wales, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, 16:40 GMTSaturday, 20 February: Wales v Ireland, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, 14:10 GMTSaturday, 6 March: Wales v England, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, 16:40 GMTSaturday, 13 March: Italy v Wales, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, 14:10 GMTAugust/September 2027 fixtures (tbc)World Cup detailsRugby World Cup matchesSaturday, 2 October: Wales v Zimbabwe, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 03:45 BSTFriday, 8 October: Tonga v Wales, Docklands Stadium, Melbourne, 08:15 BSTSaturday, 16 October: England v Wales, Stadium Australia, Sydney, 09:45 BSTLast 16: October 23-24Quarter-finals: October 30-31Semi-finals: November 5-6Bronze medal match: Saturday, 12 NovemberFinal: Sunday, 13 NovemberWorld Cup poolsPool A: New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong China.Pool B: South Africa, Italy, Georgia, Romania.Pool C: Argentina, Fiji, Spain, Canada.Pool D: Ireland, Scotland, Uruguay, Portugal.Pool E: France, Japan, USA, Samoa.Pool F: England, Wales, Tonga, Zimbabwe.Current world rankings1) South Africa2) New Zealand3) Ireland4) France5) England6) Australia7) Scotland8) Argentina9) Japan10) Fiji11) Wales12) Italy