The Canadian team lineup and sing their national anthem, ahead of the Rugby World Cup Pool B game at Oita Stadium between New Zealand and Canada in Oita, Japan, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

While big challenges await Canada at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, coach Stephen Meehan is excited about his team's draw.

The Canadian men, ranked 25th in the world, will face No. 6 Argentina, No. 8 Fiji and No. 15 Spain in Pool C.

"As the names were drawn out of the buckets this morning, I wasn't unhappy about any of it. I thought it was great," said Meehan. "It's something to really look forward to."

"All those teams are running rugby teams … That's the brand of rugby I really love and what most people want to see," the Australian added. "I think that's a particularly exciting pool, an exciting challenge for us."

Wednesday's draw in Sydney also paired the host Wallabies, ranked seventh in the world, with No. 2 New Zealand in Pool A. The two rivals have never faced each other in pool play before.

As the lowest-ranked side in the expanded 24-team tournament, the Canadian men were always going to get a tough draw. Still, it's safe to say it could have been worse.

In Argentina, Canada drew the lowest-ranked side in Pot No. 1, albeit one that defeated the British and Irish Lions 28-24 in June in Dublin and the All Blacks 29-23 in August in Buenos Aires. Fiji was the second-highest-ranked side in Pot 2 while Spain was third-highest in Pot 3.

Based on the rankings, a worst-case scenario would have seen Canada draw defending champion South Africa (ranked No. 1), No. 7 Australia and No. 13 Georgia.

But Pool C still promises to be a tough neighbourhood with Argentina and Fiji both combining physicality and flair.

Canada hasn’t faced Argentina’s full test side since a 22-15 loss in Calgary in 2005, but it has dropped all six meetings since against the second-string Argentina XV side. Fiji thumped Canada 63-10 when they met in September in Pacific Nations Cup play in Commerce City, Colo.

The Canadians will target Spain at the tournament, having pushed the European side to the limit in a 24-23 loss in June in Edmonton, a game decided on a last-second penalty kick.

The expanded tournament comes with a new format featuring six groups of four teams. The top two from each pool plus the four best third-place finishers move on to the knockout rounds, starting with the new round of 16.

The Canadian men, who failed to qualify in 2023, will hope to snap a 10-game winless run (0-9-1) at the tournament since a 25-20 victory over Tonga in 2011. Canada has only once gotten out of the pool stage, in 1991, when it lost 29-13 to the All Blacks in the quarterfinal.

The 2027 World Cup is scheduled to run Oct. 1 to Nov. 13 in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney and Townsville. The host Wallabies will feature in the tournament opener in Perth, with the full schedule slated for release Feb. 3.

With almost two years before the tournament kicks off, Meehan has time to prepare, which is welcome given he has yet to be able to assemble his full roster since taking over in April.

"I expect there to be more competition for spots in our squad, which will make us even more competitive," he said.

The contraction of U.S.-based Major League Rugby from 11 to six teams is a concern, however.

There were some 46 Canadians playing in MLR last season. That number is expected to plummet with fewer teams and new roster rules designating Canadians as foreign players.

Meehan is trying to use his extensive Rolodex to help Canadians in need of a club and believes short-term pain may lead to long-term gain.

Rugby Canada will likely launch a fundraising campaign to help finance the team's preparations, as it did with the women ahead of their World Cup. The "Mission: Win Rugby World Cup 2025" campaign exceeded its goal, bringing in just over $1 million.

The money, which was added to $2.6 million from Rugby Canada, made up the shortfall in Canada coach Kevin Rouet's preparation plan. The second-ranked Canadian women made it to the Sept. 27 final, losing 33-13 to top-ranked England at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.

Meehan expects to play 10 test matches in 2026, between the Pacific Nations Cup and the new World Rugby Nations Cup. He also hopes to play an MLR team in advance of those internationals, to give Canadian-based players a game.

This marks the fourth time the Canadian men have been drawn in a pool with Fiji at the tournament. Canada won 13-7 when they met in 1991 in France, but lost subsequent games in 1999 (38-22) in France and 2007 (29-16) in Wales.

Canada had never previously drawn Argentina or Spain at the World Cup.

Canada, which missed out in 2023 after losing two-legged qualifying series to the U.S. (59-50 on aggregate) and Chile (54-56), qualified this time via the Pacific Nations Cup.

Meehan said the Canadian players are "incredibly motivated," with some who missed out in 2023 still feeling "a bit of hurt there."

"What will matter now is what they do when no one's watching," he added.

Fiji qualified automatically by virtue of finishing second in its pool at the 2023 tournament, before losing 30-24 to England in the quarterfinals.

Spain qualified as runner-up at the 2025 Rugby Europe Championship, losing 46-28 to Georgia in the final.

Canada's all-time World Cup record is 7-23-2, with the other wins coming in 2003 (24-7 over Tonga), 1999 (72-11 over Namibia), 1995 (34-3 over Romania), 1991 (13-3 over Fiji and 19-11 over Romania) and 1987 (37-4 over Tonga).

2027 Rugby World Cup Draw (with world ranking)

Pool A: No. 2 New Zealand, No. 7 Australia, No. 17 Chile, No. 23 Hong Kong.

Pool B: No. 1 South Africa, No. 10 Italy, No. 13 Georgia, No. 22 Romania.

Pool C: No. 6 Argentina, No. 8 Fiji, No. 15 Spain, No. 25 Canada.

Pool D: No. 4 Ireland, No. 9 Scotland, No. 14 Uruguay, No. 20 Portugal.

Pool E: No. 5 France, No. 12 Japan, No. 16 U.S., No. 19 Samoa.

Pool F: No. 3 England, No. 11 Wales, No. 18 Tonga, No. 24 Zimbabwe.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025