Spain and Portugal qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Spain will appear in a men’s Rugby World Cup for the first time since 1999 after reaching the Rugby Europe Championship semifinals on Sunday.

Portugal joined the Spanish to achieve back-to-back World Cups in 2027 in Australia.

Spain beat Switzerland 43-13 in Yverdon-les-Bains to qualify.

Los Leones previously qualified for the 2023 World Cup but were deducted points for fielding an ineligible player twice and fell out of position. They were also thrown out of qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup for using ineligible players.

Spain’s only other appearance in rugby union’s top event was in 1999 in Scotland, where the team lost all three of its pool games against Uruguay, South Africa and Scotland.

The Portuguese, nicknamed Os Lobos, beat visiting Germany 56-14 to go two for two in the REC, Europe’s second-tier competition after the Six Nations.

Portugal went winless in its World Cup debut in 2007 in France but made a huge splash in its return in 2023 in France again by beating quarterfinal-bound Fiji and drawing with Georgia.

Spain, Portugal, Georgia and Romania secured the four direct qualifying places from Europe this weekend, leaving eight more qualifying spots open around the world.

The 2027 World Cup will feature 24 teams for the first time, up from 20.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby