Exclusive: Rugby Club World Cup format agreed with tournament to start in 2025

The blueprint for a new ‘Club World Cup’ is understood to have been agreed with a tournament involving the top 16 sides from the northern and southern hemispheres scheduled to start in 2025, Telegraph Sport can reveal.

Under the bold proposals eight northern hemisphere clubs and seven from the southern hemisphere, plus a Japanese side, would be placed in four pools, each playing two matches against teams from the other hemisphere. The winner of each pool would progress to the semi-finals ahead of a final to crown the best club side in the world. 

The competition, which would take place instead of the knockout rounds of the Champions Cup and see the Premiership final brought forward to early May, would happen once every four years ahead of a British and Irish Lions tour. 

The format is understood to have been endorsed by key stakeholders, including Premiership Rugby and representatives for players. Discussions have now moved into the final stage, with talks including due diligence, commercials, and detailed travel plans expected to be concluded in September.

It is hoped that the prospect of the likes of Leicester, Saracens, Exeter, Leinster, Munster, Toulouse and La Rochelle taking on the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Reds will drive interest in the club game to a new level and provide a much-needed financial boost following the impact of the global pandemic.

“This is going to be massive for the club game and should generate huge interest from supporters, sponsors and broadcasters in both hemispheres,” said one source. “For the first time we are going to be able to declare which side is the best in the world.”

The plan is for the tournament to start in 2025 to avoid a clash with next year’s World Cup and the proposed new