Springbok Women to open RWC campaign against Brazil

The Springbok Women will play Brazil in their opening match of the 2025 Rugby World Cup in England, facing their Pool D opponents for the first time at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton on Sunday 24 August.

South Africa will then travel north to York for their second pool match, where they will meet Italy at the York Community Stadium on 31 August, before returning to Northampton for their final pool match, against France on Sunday, 7 September, at Franklin's Gardens.

World Rugby announced the fixture list of the global showpiece on Tuesday, with hosts England opening the tournament against the USA at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, near Newcastle in the north of the country, on Friday, 22 August 2025.

The defending champions, New Zealand, will begin their campaign against Spain at York Community Stadium two days later, on the same day that South Africa will face Brazil , who became the first team from South America to qualify for a Women’s Rugby World Cup earlier this year.

Springbok Women High performance coach Swys de Bruin said the planning for the campaign has started and although some details of warm-up matches and tours are still being finalised, it is good to know exactly what is coming their way during the Rugby World Cup.

“Brazil will be a fresh challenge, as we have not played them at all, while we have clearer and more recent pictures of Italy and France, so we know we will have to prepare well,” said De Bruin.

“It is also nice to be able to play two matches at Franklin’s Gardens, a proud English rugby venue and we are looking forward to the York visit as well. All in all, with regards to the draw and schedule, it is really a satisfactory outcome for us and the challenge will be to use that to our advantage.

“We certainly hope for good support from South Africans residing in the UK to come out and enjoy the journey with us. We are determined to come back home next year with our best RWC result ever.”

The match schedule has been developed with team and fan experience at heart, with exciting matchups in each of the eight host locations, family friendly kick-off times and optimised team travel. Aligned with World Rugby standards, each team will also benefit from a minimum of six rest days between pool matches enabling the world’s top teams to prepare and perform at their best.

Six double header fixtures will take place during the pool stages, generating a festival atmosphere in the host locations and creating a day-out for families and local communities. With child prices available at all matches including the opening and knock-out matches and a vast majority of kick-off times in the afternoon, Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 promises to be the family event of the year inspiring the next generation of players in England.

The pool stage will culminate in a huge weekend of matches across four venues, with the two best teams on competition points in each pool qualifying for the quarter-finals and the knockout phase.

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Managing Director, Sarah Massey, said: “The confirmation of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 match schedule brings a wave of excitement as fans in the host nation and around the globe can now mark their calendars for this era-defining tournament.

“With thrilling matchups and unforgettable moments guaranteed across the length and breadth of the country, the stage is set for the world’s top teams to showcase the very best of women’s rugby. Whether you’re a rugby fan or a newcomer, join us and be part of this unstoppable energy and historic moment!”

With 95% of the population in England within two hours of a match venue, fans will have an unprecedented opportunity to see rugby’s biggest stars in action, while host cities are getting ready to welcome international travelling fans with iconic and vibrant local experiences.

With excitement building, fans will have the opportunity to apply for tickets for all matches from 11am (GMT) on Tuesday 5 November until 11am (GMT) on Tuesday 19 November. Ballots will be used for any price categories which are oversubscribed. Fans can register to be the first to hear about ticket news here.

Prior to the two-week ticket application phase, Worldwide Partner Mastercard is offering its cardholders access to a 48-hour priority sale for all matches from 11am (GMT+1) today until 11am (GMT+1) on Thursday 24 October at tickets.rugbyworldcup.com. Only Mastercard payments will be accepted during this priority window.

VIEW THE FULL MATCH SCHEDULE HERE >>

Springbok Women RWC 2025 Pool D fixtures

South Africa v Brazil

Date: Sunday 24 August

Venue: Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton

Kick-off: 2.45pm (3.45pm SAST)

Italy v South Africa

Date: Sunday 31 August

Venue: York Community Stadium, York

Kick-off: 3.30pm (4.30pm SAST)

France v South Africa

Date: Sunday 7 September

Venue: Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton

Kick-off: 4.45pm (5.45pm SAST)