Women's Rugby World Cup: Who are the favourites? Will Ilona Maher play? Which of the home nations are participating

The tenth edition of the Women's Rugby World Cup commences this month with hosts England as favourites to take the win. At a time when women's rugby is growing at an unprecedented rate, the tournament is set to be a spectacle. So, before the chaos commences and New Zealand begin their title defence, here is all you need to know, from Ilona Maher to the home nations.

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The Women’s Rugby World Cup kicks off later this month in Sunderland with England opening the tournament against the USA on August 22.

Records have already been broken with ticket sales exceeding any previous attendance figures for this tournament.

With the women’s game growing exponentially and England as the hosts, it is set to be a thrilling tournament.

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Who are the favourites?

England are the favourites to win this summer with a winning streak of 26 games dating back to the last World Cup, the most recent of which was a 97-7 drubbing of Spain in Leicester.

Having dominated in the WXV in October 2024 and the Six Nations earlier this year, England have shown they could finally win back the World Cup from New Zealand.

With it also being a home tournament for the Red Roses, there will be a lot of fans eager to see them lift the trophy.

But with that weight of expectation on the England squad and a tough pool selection, the onus is on John Mitchell's side to perform.

Who will be England’s biggest competition?

Canada challenged the Roses in the WXV competition last year, even leading the game on two occasions, so could well hand an upset to the hosts should they meet.

Also sitting in second in the World Rugby rankings, Canada appear to be the nation that has the best opportunity to disrupt England’s perfect story.

After being knocked out by England in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, Canada have grown in strength and could even put themselves in the conversation to lift the world title for the first time.

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There’s also New Zealand, who are the reigning champions and have won the tournament six times, a typical thorn for the Roses having beaten England in five finals.

Fifteen years ago, the Black Ferns defeated England in a home World Cup final at Twickenham Stoop, and this summer they will be hoping to repeat history.

However, since winning the World Cup in 2022, New Zealand have lost to England three times, so history suggests they may not be up to the task.

France will also expect to compete after a strong Six Nations, in which they won four of their five matches and were only beaten by England.

Which of the home nations will be there?

All four of the home nations have qualified for the World Cup, following their success in the WXV in 2024.

Scotland and Wales will face each other in Manchester on August 23 for their first game of the tournament, while Ireland will face Japan the next day.

Also in Pool B with Scotland and Wales are Canada and Fiji.

Joining Ireland in Pool C are New Zealand, Japan, and Spain.

Why aren’t more of the games at Twickenham?

Unlike the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2015, which hosted ten games at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, only the final and bronze final will be at the home of English rugby.

When England last hosted the women’s tournament in 2010, the majority of the games were played at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford.

Organisers wanted to "capture hearts and headlines around the world, galvanising the next generation of fans, players and partners around one of sport's most exciting spectacles" by making games accessible to all.

Having the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham as the host for the final games is hoped by World Rugby to be a "fitting finale" as a world record attendance for a women's rugby game is expected.

England's Six Nations campaign saw them play at several different venues, including York's LNER Community Stadium and Leicester Tigers’ Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

What happened at the last Women’s Rugby World Cup?

The Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2021 was delayed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when New Zealand won for the sixth time.

France were narrowly knocked out by New Zealand in the semi-finals when they lost by just one point, while England dominated Canada to meet their rivals in the final once more.

The host nation then defeated England 34-31 in front of a record-breaking crowd of 58,498.

Although England did nearly take the win, in the first quarter they went 14-0 up and looked comfortable - they were soon down to 14 players after a red card was shown to Lydia Thompson for a high challenge on rugby legend Portia Woodman.

In the final moments of the game, England had a last chance to grasp the win after being awarded a penalty.

The Roses' line-outs had been unstoppable throughout the tournament, so they chose to go for one more just five metres out.

But the ball fell into the Ferns’ hands, secured their win over England, repeating a familiar story.

Is Ilona Maher going to be there?

Ilona Maher has been included in the USA's squad for the World Cup.

Maher went viral during the 2024 Olympics for her relatable, funny, and empowering social media posts.

And since winning Olympic Bronze with Team USA, she has taken the rugby world by further storm, going to more than five million Instagram followers.

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She also went on to compete on Dancing with the Stars before a short stint at Bristol Bears.

Having played rugby sevens at the Olympics but being determined to make the USA squad for the World Cup, Maher needed experience in the 15s format, hence her time with Bristol.