World Rugby Rankings

The complete men's and women's World Rugby rankings, with every ranked union, weekly movers, and a straight explanation of how the rating points actually work.

Last updated: 10 August 2026· data checked 16 Aug 2026, 02:03 +00:00

As of 10 August 2026, South Africa lead the World Rugby Men's Rankings on 93.96 rating points, ahead of New Zealand on 92.28 and Ireland on 88.08.

The biggest move of the latest update was downward: Japan dropped 2 places from 10 to 12 on 75.94 points. England lead the World Rugby Women's Rankings on 98.09 points, ahead of New Zealand on 91.60. The men's list covers 114 unions and the women's list 70, and both are updated by World Rugby every Monday during a Test window.

Men's World Rugby Rankings

114 teams ranked

World Rugby men's rankings — all 114 ranked unions, as published on 10 August 2026. Columns: position, movement since the last update, team, rating points, rating change, previous position.
Pos	Move	Team	Points	Change	Prev
1	–	South AfricaRSA	93.96	0.00	1
2	–	New ZealandNZL	92.28	0.00	2
3	–	IrelandIRE	88.08	0.00	3
4	–	FranceFRA	87.43	0.00	4
5	–	EnglandENG	85.68	0.00	5
6	–	ScotlandSCO	84.78	0.00	6
7	–	ArgentinaARG	83.13	0.00	7
8	–	AustraliaAUS	82.09	+0.48	8
9	–	FijiFIJ	78.00	0.00	9
10	+1	WalesWAL	76.38	0.00	11
11	+1	ItalyITA	76.30	0.00	12
12	−2	JapanJPN	75.94	−0.48	10
13	–	GeorgiaGEO	73.94	0.00	13
14	–	USAUSA	70.22	0.00	14
15	–	PortugalPOR	69.39	0.00	15
16	–	ChileCHI	66.94	0.00	16
17	–	SpainESP	66.83	0.00	17
18	–	UruguayURU	65.75	0.00	18
19	–	TongaTGA	65.14	0.00	19
20	–	SamoaSAM	64.73	0.00	20
21	–	RomaniaROU	62.45	0.00	21
22	–	BelgiumBEL	61.03	0.00	22
23	–	Hong Kong ChinaHKG	60.74	0.00	23
24	–	CanadaCAN	60.37	0.00	24
25	–	ZimbabweZIM	57.68	0.00	25
26	–	NamibiaNAM	56.96	0.00	26
27	–	NetherlandsNED	56.44	0.00	27
28	–	SwitzerlandSUI	55.47	0.00	28
29	–	CzechiaCZE	54.78	0.00	29
30	–	PolandPOL	54.54	0.00	30
31	–	ParaguayPAR	52.15	0.00	31
32	–	RussiaRUS	52.06	0.00	32
33	–	BrazilBRA	51.50	0.00	33
34	–	SwedenSWE	51.11	0.00	34
35	–	GermanyGER	50.92	0.00	35
36	–	KenyaKEN	50.09	0.00	36
37	–	MexicoMEX	49.97	0.00	37
38	–	KoreaKOR	49.29	0.00	38
39	–	MoroccoMAR	47.54	0.00	39
40	–	United Arab EmiratesUAE	47.45	0.00	40
41	–	ColombiaCOL	47.11	0.00	41
42	–	Cayman IslandsCAY	46.52	0.00	42
43	–	PhilippinesPHI	46.35	0.00	43
44	–	MaltaMLT	45.83	0.00	44
45	–	AlgeriaALG	45.82	0.00	45
46	–	MadagascarMAD	45.76	0.00	46
47	–	SenegalSEN	45.72	0.00	47
48	–	TunisiaTUN	45.56	0.00	48
49	–	Sri LankaSRI	45.53	0.00	49
50	–	UgandaUGA	45.12	0.00	50
51	–	UkraineUKR	44.99	0.00	51
52	–	Trinidad & TobagoTTO	44.27	0.00	52
53	–	LuxembourgLUX	43.09	0.00	53
54	–	LithuaniaLTU	43.02	0.00	54
55	–	MalaysiaMAS	42.93	0.00	55
56	–	CroatiaCRO	41.80	0.00	56
57	–	MoldovaMDA	41.11	0.00	57
58	–	DenmarkDEN	40.94	0.00	58
59	–	KazakhstanKAZ	40.49	0.00	59
60	–	BarbadosBAR	40.43	0.00	60
61	–	Chinese TaipeiTPE	40.27	0.00	61
62	–	JamaicaJAM	40.00	0.00	62
63	–	IsraelISR	39.97	0.00	63
64	–	AustriaAUT	39.74	0.00	64
65	–	LatviaLAT	39.63	0.00	65
66	–	ZambiaZAM	39.24	0.00	66
67	–	Cook IslandsCOK	39.11	0.00	67
68	–	Cote D'IvoireCIV	39.06	0.00	68
69	–	SerbiaSRB	38.69	0.00	69
70	–	BermudaBER	37.74	0.00	70
71	–	ThailandTHA	37.55	0.00	71
72	–	SingaporeSGP	37.30	0.00	72
73	–	BulgariaBUL	37.26	0.00	73
74	–	GuyanaGUY	36.85	0.00	74
75	–	NigeriaNGR	36.82	0.00	75
76	–	VenezuelaVEN	36.78	0.00	76
77	–	FinlandFIN	36.35	0.00	77
78	–	BotswanaBOT	36.21	0.00	78
79	–	AndorraAND	35.15	0.00	79
80	–	PeruPER	35.05	0.00	80
81	–	GhanaGHA	34.38	0.00	81
82	–	SloveniaSLO	34.19	0.00	82
83	–	St Vincent and the GrenadinesVIN	33.62	0.00	83
84	–	TurkeyTUR	32.15	0.00	84
85	–	IndiaIND	31.83	0.00	85
86	–	HungaryHUN	31.29	0.00	86
87	–	Burkina FasoBUR	31.05	0.00	87
88	–	GuamGUM	30.51	0.00	88
89	–	LesothoLES	30.46	0.00	89
90	–	IranIRI	30.00	0.00	90
91	–	Costa RicaCRC	29.75	0.00	91
92	–	ChinaCHN	28.91	0.00	92
93	–	Bosnia & HerzegovinaBIH	28.36	0.00	93
94	–	Papua New GuineaPNG	27.68	0.00	94
95	–	St LuciaLCA	27.58	0.00	95
96	–	BahamasBAH	27.46	0.00	96
97	–	EswatiniSWZ	25.58	0.00	97
98	–	QatarQAT	25.31	0.00	98
99	–	UzbekistanUZB	25.28	0.00	99
100	–	MauritiusMRI	24.56	0.00	100
101	–	NorwayNOR	24.50	0.00	101
102	–	PakistanPAK	24.13	0.00	102
103	–	NepalNEP	24.00	0.00	103
104	–	RwandaRWA	23.78	0.00	104
105	–	LaosLAO	23.38	0.00	105
106	–	CameroonCMR	23.12	0.00	106
107	–	Niue IslandNIU	22.63	0.00	107
108	–	BurundiBDI	20.16	0.00	108
109	–	Solomon IslandsSOL	17.97	0.00	109
110	–	IndonesiaINA	15.95	0.00	110
111	–	MonacoMON	11.17	0.00	111
112	–	GreeceGRE	10.55	0.00	112
113	–	VanuatuVAN	9.29	0.00	113
114	–	American SamoaASA	7.53	0.00	114

Women's World Rugby Rankings

70 teams ranked

World Rugby women's rankings — all 70 ranked unions, as published on 10 August 2026. Columns: position, movement since the last update, team, rating points, rating change, previous position.
Pos	Move	Team	Points	Change	Prev
1	–	EnglandENG	98.09	0.00	1
2	–	New ZealandNZL	91.60	0.00	2
3	–	CanadaCAN	89.78	0.00	3
4	–	FranceFRA	84.59	0.00	4
5	–	IrelandIRE	78.69	0.00	5
6	–	ItalyITA	74.79	0.00	6
7	–	ScotlandSCO	74.40	0.00	7
8	–	USAUSA	74.05	0.00	8
9	–	AustraliaAUS	74.03	0.00	9
10	–	South AfricaRSA	72.28	+0.37	10
11	–	JapanJPN	69.72	0.00	11
12	–	WalesWAL	65.22	0.00	12
13	–	FijiFIJ	64.02	−0.37	13
14	–	SpainESP	63.68	0.00	14
15	–	SamoaSAM	59.31	0.00	15
16	–	Hong Kong ChinaHKG	57.49	0.00	16
17	–	NetherlandsNED	56.59	0.00	17
18	–	RussiaRUS	55.10	0.00	18
19	–	KazakhstanKAZ	53.95	0.00	19
20	–	GermanyGER	51.10	0.00	20
21	–	KenyaKEN	50.68	0.00	21
22	–	SwedenSWE	47.78	0.00	22
23	–	BelgiumBEL	47.68	0.00	23
24	–	PortugalPOR	47.29	0.00	24
25	–	BrazilBRA	45.96	0.00	25
26	–	UgandaUGA	44.13	0.00	26
27	–	GeorgiaGEO	43.88	0.00	27
28	–	TongaTGA	43.53	0.00	28
29	–	MexicoMEX	43.34	0.00	29
30	–	ChinaCHN	43.34	0.00	30
31	–	ColombiaCOL	42.96	0.00	31
32	–	AndorraAND	42.71	0.00	32
33	–	Trinidad & TobagoTTO	42.16	0.00	33
34	–	TunisiaTUN	41.76	0.00	34
35	–	FinlandFIN	41.23	0.00	35
36	–	MadagascarMAD	40.89	0.00	36
37	–	CameroonCMR	40.70	0.00	37
38	–	AustriaAUT	40.56	0.00	38
39	–	LatviaLAT	39.11	0.00	39
40	–	MalaysiaMAS	39.11	0.00	40
41	–	MoroccoMAR	39.08	0.00	41
42	–	JamaicaJAM	38.84	0.00	42
43	–	CroatiaCRO	38.19	0.00	43
44	–	CzechiaCZE	38.01	0.00	44
45	–	RomaniaROU	37.93	0.00	45
46	–	DenmarkDEN	36.62	0.00	46
47	–	BulgariaBUL	36.23	0.00	47
48	–	Papua New GuineaPNG	35.41	0.00	48
49	–	SingaporeSGP	35.28	0.00	49
50	–	NorwayNOR	34.79	0.00	50
51	–	ZambiaZAM	33.95	0.00	51
52	–	GuyanaGUY	33.63	0.00	52
53	–	SenegalSEN	33.16	0.00	53
54	–	ZimbabweZIM	32.71	0.00	54
55	–	Bosnia & HerzegovinaBIH	32.00	0.00	55
56	–	IndiaIND	31.60	0.00	56
57	–	ThailandTHA	30.35	0.00	57
58	–	Cote D'IvoireCIV	29.85	0.00	58
59	–	SwitzerlandSUI	29.46	0.00	59
60	–	UzbekistanUZB	29.40	0.00	60
61	–	Burkina FasoBUR	29.32	0.00	61
62	–	Cayman IslandsCAY	28.95	0.00	62
63	–	BotswanaBOT	27.30	0.00	63
64	–	LuxembourgLUX	26.83	0.00	64
65	–	PhilippinesPHI	26.83	0.00	65
66	–	NamibiaNAM	26.14	0.00	66
67	–	SerbiaSRB	25.79	0.00	67
68	–	BarbadosBAR	24.06	0.00	68
69	–	St Vincent and the GrenadinesVIN	22.71	0.00	69
70	–	BahamasBAH	21.67	0.00	70

Biggest Movers

Who gained and who lost ground in the World Rugby update published on 10 August 2026.

Men's movers

Climbers

WalesWAL +1 11 → 10
ItalyITA +1 12 → 11

Fallers

JapanJPN −2 10 → 12

Women's movers

No team changed position in the update published on 10 August 2026.

How the World Rugby Rankings work

Every Test match moves rating points from one union to the other. Nothing is awarded from a central pool, no result is worth a fixed number of points, and since 1 July 2026 it no longer matters where the match is played.

The Points Exchange: every Test is zero-sum

The World Rugby Rankings run on a Points Exchange. Teams do not accumulate points from a central pot — they take them off each other. Whatever one side gains in a Test, the other side loses, to the decimal place. The total number of rating points in the system never changes.

How much changes hands depends on the gap between the two ratings before kick-off. Beat a side rated well above you and you take a lot; beat a side rated well below you and you take very little, because you were expected to win. That is why a No.1 side can win comfortably and barely move, while a mid-table union can win one Test and jump several places.

Every union is rated on a scale that runs from 0 to 100 in theory but in practice sits between about 10 and 98. The world No.1 is normally above 90: South Africa were on 93.96 as of 10 August 2026.

Margin of victory, and why the scoreline matters less than you think

Winning is what moves a rating. The margin only adjusts the size of the move. Win by more than 15 points and the exchange is multiplied by 1.5; win by 15 or fewer and it is not. There is no sliding scale beyond that threshold, so a 40-point hammering and a 16-point win are treated identically.

There is also a ceiling on how far a single result can shift a rating, which stops one freak scoreline from distorting the table. A shock 60-point win does not vault a team up the list — it moves them the same amount a 16-point win would have, multiplied and then capped.

Rugby World Cup matches are the exception that goes the other way: exchanges at a World Cup are doubled, which is why ratings move further in six weeks of a World Cup than in two years of ordinary Test rugby.

Home advantage no longer counts — that changed on 1 July 2026

There is no home weighting in the World Rugby Rankings any more. World Rugby removed it with effect from 1 July 2026, having announced the change on 18 June 2026.

Until then, the calculation treated the home side as three rating points stronger than their actual rating. The purpose was to cancel out the advantage of playing at home, and the practical effect was that winning away was worth more than winning at home. Since 1 July 2026 both sides are taken at their true rating wherever the match is played.

World Rugby put the change down to an evolving international competition landscape: more and more Tests are played at neutral or centralised venues, and the old rule penalised unions who were nominally at home in someone else's stadium. The practical consequence for readers is that home and away results now move the table by exactly the same amount.

This one is worth stating plainly because World Rugby's own explainer page still describes the three-point home weighting as though it applies. It does not, and has not since 1 July 2026.

You cannot gain rating by losing

A heroic defeat is worth nothing. There is no bonus for keeping a Test close, no credit for a strong second half, and no mechanism by which a losing side finishes the weekend with more rating points than it started with. Losing costs you points; the only question is how many.

Drawn Tests do exchange points. If two sides are rated differently, a draw moves rating from the higher-rated team to the lower-rated one, because the higher-rated side underperformed the expected result. Two evenly-rated sides drawing exchange almost nothing.

How unions enter the list, and what happens when they stop playing

A new full member union enters the rankings on a rating of 30 points. It then rises or falls from there like anyone else — there is no probationary period and no separate scale.

Teams that stop playing Test rugby eventually drop off the published list, but their rating is not deleted. If a dormant union returns, it resumes at the rating it held when it stopped, rather than being reset. That is why a nation can reappear in the table at a position that looks disconnected from anything it has done recently.

How the women's rankings were seeded differently

The women's rankings use the same Points Exchange as the men's. What differs is the starting line, because the women's Test game has a much shorter and more staggered history.

Rather than dropping every union in at the same figure, World Rugby back-dated a baseline to 1987 and set every team at 80 points from that year, then deducted 2 points for each year that passed before a union played its first Test. The deduction is floored at 40, so any union whose first Test came after 2007 started on 40 rather than dropping lower.

Nearly four decades of results later, those starting positions have largely washed out. England topped the women's list on 98.09 as of 10 August 2026.

A worked example, using the latest update

Here is the exchange from the most recent update, in real numbers. Australia gained 0.48 rating points and Japan lost exactly the same 0.48, in the list published on 10 August 2026. Not approximately the same — the same, because the points came out of one union and went into the other.

Australia went from 81.61 to 82.09. Japan went from 76.42 to 75.94.

Australia won 35-32 in Osaka — an away win, and under the rules in force since 1 July 2026 no home weighting applied to either side.

The exchange was small because the result was close to what the ratings predicted: the two sides went in 5.19 rating points apart, with Australia the higher-rated. A narrow win over a lower-rated side is worth very little. It was still enough to shift the table — Japan fell from 10 to 12.

Rankings data: World Rugby. The explanation above is our own.

World Rugby Rankings FAQs

Who is the current world No.1 in rugby?

South Africa are the No.1 men's side on 93.96 rating points, and England are the No.1 women's side on 98.09, both as of the World Rugby update published on 10 August 2026.

The men's and women's rankings are separate lists with separate leaders — there is no combined world No.1.

How often are the World Rugby rankings updated?

World Rugby republishes both rankings every Monday during a Test window, reflecting the matches played over the preceding weekend. In weeks with no international rugby the list is simply carried over unchanged.

The figures on this page come from the update dated 10 August 2026, and this page refetches the feed every six hours so it never lags behind an update.

How are World Rugby ranking points calculated?

Points are transferred between the two teams in a Test rather than awarded from a pool. The size of the transfer is set by the gap between the two ratings before kick-off, so beating a much better side is worth far more than beating a much weaker one, and the winner's gain always equals the loser's loss.

Two multipliers apply on top: a win by more than 15 points is multiplied by 1.5, and any match at a Rugby World Cup is doubled. A cap limits how much a single result can move a rating.

Does home advantage still count in the rugby rankings?

No. World Rugby removed the home weighting from the rankings calculation with effect from 1 July 2026.

Before that date the home side was treated as three rating points stronger than their actual rating, which had the effect of making away wins more valuable than home wins. Since 1 July 2026 the venue makes no difference to the calculation at all.

Do the rankings decide Rugby World Cup pools and seedings?

Yes — the rankings are what World Rugby uses to band teams for the Rugby World Cup pool draw. Teams are split into bands based on their ranking on a cut-off date set well in advance of the draw, and one team is drawn from each band into each pool.

That is why a single Test in the months before a draw cut-off can matter far more than its result suggests: dropping one place can move a union from one band to the next and change which giants they meet in the pool stage.

What is the highest rating a team has ever had?

The highest rating currently held by any side in either list is 98.09, by England, as of 10 August 2026. No team in the history of either ranking has reached the theoretical maximum of 100.

The scale is bounded in practice as well as in theory: because points can only be taken from opponents, a dominant side eventually runs out of higher-rated teams to take them from. Ratings in the mid-90s represent sustained dominance over several seasons, not a single good year.

How are the women's rankings different from the men's?

The calculation is identical — the same Points Exchange, the same 15-point margin multiplier, the same doubling at a World Cup. Only the starting ratings differed.

Every women's team was seeded from a 1987 baseline of 80 points, minus 2 points for each year before that union played its first Test, with a floor of 40 for any union debuting after 2007. The men's list has no equivalent back-dating.

The lists are also different sizes: 114 unions are ranked in the men's table and 70 in the women's.

Can a team gain ranking points in defeat?

No. There is no mechanism for gaining rating points from a loss, however narrow the defeat or however highly rated the opponent. Losing always costs rating points; a close loss to a strong side simply costs fewer of them.

A draw is different: if the two sides are rated differently, the higher-rated team loses points to the lower-rated one, because a draw is worse than the expected result for the favourite.