Wilson dreams of home glory as Australia's Rugby World Cup countdown reaches one year

Wallabies captain Harry Wilson has declared the 2027 Rugby World Cup a long-held personal ambition, as Australia prepares to host the tournament for the first time since 2003, with the one-year countdown now officially under way.

Wilson, who made his Wallabies debut six years ago, spoke candidly about the significance of the home tournament. “This 2027 World Cup has been something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time,” he said. “I remember a lot of us signed in 2020 on long deals to the ‘23 World Cup, with this World Cup in the back of our mind.”

Australia will open their campaign against World Cup debutants Hong Kong China at Perth Stadium on 1 October 2027. The tournament spans six weeks across seven host cities, with 52 matches in total. Sydney’s Stadium Australia — an 80,000-seat venue — will host both semi-finals, two quarter-finals, the bronze final on 12 November and the World Cup final on 13 November.

World Rugby marked the one-year milestone last month at a fan event in Sydney, where it was confirmed that 1.3 million tickets have been purchased by supporters from 164 countries, with more than 250,000 international visitors expected to attend.

For Wilson, the prospect of a home crowd galvanising behind the Wallabies carries particular weight. “I just can’t wait to see Australia get behind us and have everyone talking about rugby,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of people surprised by how amazing it is. To have that home support is going to be special.”

The Wallabies have recent experience of a major home series, having faced the British & Irish Lions in 2024. The Lions claimed the Test series 2-1, though Australia salvaged the final match with a 22-12 victory at Sydney’s Accor Stadium. Wilson suggested the World Cup will dwarf even that occasion. “It’ll be like [the Lions Series] but times by five. It’s unbelievable,” he said.

With the Wallabies currently on their northern hemisphere Spring Tour following their last home fixture in Bledisloe II, Wilson stressed the importance of maintaining momentum. “We’ve just got to keep building over this next month to make sure we’re ready next year.”