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While many supporters in the UK focus on club early-season fortunes or discuss forthcoming autumn internationals, the battle for 2027 Rugby World Cup qualification continues at full pace.

Chile's Remarkable Achievement

Chile secured their back-to-back appearance at the competition with a stunning playoff victory over Samoa last month, leaving a single place left to be claimed for the host nation by 2027. At the same time, Paraguay stunned Brazil by twenty points in the opening match of their qualifying series.

The return match takes place on Saturday in the Brazilian city, close to São Paulo, while Brazil's squad attempts to follow the women's success and qualify for the first occasion.

Forthcoming Qualifying Showdown

Whether Paraguay completes a shock overall win, or Brazil bounces back following head coach Emiliano Caffera's departure, the participants for November's qualifying event in Dubai will be confirmed. The Namibian team, Belgium, and Samoa are already confirmed spots for the Middle Eastern showdown from November 8th to 18th.

Global Qualifying Updates

Several other teams have also earned their places. Hong Kong China achieved maiden qualification following defeating Korea by a large margin in the summer, while the Zimbabwean squad will return to the sport's premier tournament for the first occasion in over three decades after winning the Rugby Africa Cup.

Chile's Rising Profile

The knock-on effect of Chile's qualifying triumph ensures that Los Condores will play against Italy for the first occasion next month during the fall test series, taking the place of Samoa who must compete in the Dubai tournament.

The global governing body's chief executive called Chile an "exciting and fast-emerging force" in confirming the forthcoming fixture in the Italian city. While local the sport promotional efforts aim for increased attendance, rugby in Chile is buoyant. A capacity crowd of over 20,000 witnessed the qualifying win in Viña del Mar, and head coach the national coach has guided the team on an upward trajectory since taking over in recent years.

Manager's Impressive Career

The fifty-year-old former Uruguayan forward has been making an impact for decades: signed by the English club in the late 90s, he memorably broke through England defensive line to touch down at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

His impact as head coach has been similarly significant: Chile have climbed to 17th, their best ranking. During the previous tournament in France, they were defeated in all matches, allowing 215 points and registering 27, including a heavy defeat to the English team.

Nevertheless, they proudly found the positive aspects, and following the 2027 draw in Sydney on December 3rd, Lemoine can begin planning seriously. They faced the Scottish team last year, losing 52-11 before twenty-four thousand supporters, and while they were beaten over both matches by Uruguay in the first qualifying round, they achieved a narrow win on the road in the Uruguayan capital.

Samoa's Qualification Struggle

Samoa, in contrast, have not missed every World Cup since 1991, but are currently sitting in sixteenth position in the global rankings. They were winless in the recent Pacific Nations Cup, leading to playoff misery versus Chile, and the requirement to meet nations such as Belgium brings additional challenge for the proud rugby nation.

Tournament Structural Updates

Beyond individual nations' fortunes, it is worth noting how changed the larger competition will appear in 2027. For the first occasion, there will be a round of 16 with six groups of four teams rather than four pools of five. Group phase jeopardy is significantly reduced because the four best third-place teams will additionally qualify.

Host Nation and Standings Consequences

The organizers, the Australian team, are now ranked seventh in the global rankings, which means they would miss out on top seeding and might face one of the Springboks, the All Blacks, the Irish, France, England, or the Pumas in Pool A. They could rise into the top six during a busy November, however: the English team, the Italian side, the Irish squad, and the French team are their opponents, with a match against the Japanese team in Tokyo also scheduled for October 25th.

The Welsh team, on the other hand, are balanced in twelfth place, with the Japanese side behind, and the implications of falling to thirteenth and into pot three are potentially significant.

Americas Presence and Upcoming Tournaments

Another fresh aspect for the next World Cup is the participation of five nations from the American continent: Argentina, Uruguay, USA, Canada, and the Chilean squad – with Paraguay or Brazil possibly making it six. From the governing body's perspective, American interest is positive, particularly with the 2031 tournament scheduled to be hosted by the United States, and the selection process for the 2035 tournament was launched recently.

Immediate Priority

For now, however. The return match of Brazil v Paraguay prepares a four-way Dubai shootout, combined with a possible standings change throughout the European nations in the coming month. No matter how things pan out, Chile's qualification for a second consecutive World Cup has already established them as a clear triumphant example.