Next month, Namibia’s senior rugby team will face Belgium, Samoa and Paraguay in the final qualification tournament for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup. The final qualification tournament will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 8 to 18 November 2025, marking the final opportunity for teams to book their place in the expanded 24-team Rugby World Cup. All matches will be staged at The Sevens Stadium. 

During the 2023 Africa Cup, which served as the regional qualifier, Namibia advanced deep into the tournament, but did not secure the direct African qualifying spot, which went to Kenya as the top finisher.

As the next-best team in the region, Namibia earned the right to compete in the final qualification tournament.

The final qualification tournament will serve as the last chance for teams that narrowly missed direct qualification through their respective continental routes. 

The fixtures are scheduled for 8, 13 and 18 November 2025 in a round-robin format, with each team playing one another once. The team finishing at the top of the standings after three rounds will claim the final, 24th qualification spot for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup.

Namibia, ranked 27th globally and has previously qualified for the Rugby World Cup seven times, in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023. They will now go up against Samoa (16th), Belgium (22nd) and Paraguay (34th) in what promises to be a thrilling series of matches.

Kudu’s Director of Rugby, Rodger Thompson, expressed strong confidence in Namibia’s chances of qualifying for the Rugby World Cup, though he acknowledged the challenge ahead. “As a Namibian, I have massive belief in our team, but this will probably be the toughest qualification campaign we’ve ever faced,” he said.

Thompson noted some concerns regarding game-time preparation. “From a coaching perspective, I haven’t seen much match preparation for the team leading up to Dubai. I’m not fully aware of all the planning details for this phase, but I trust the coaches know what they’re doing and can bring it all together.”

He praised the squad assembled for the tournament. “They’ve put together a strong group with plenty of experience, players who have handled pressure before. Hopefully, this experience will help the team function cohesively. When cohesion and synergy click, and everyone is aligned on how we want to play, I believe we can strike the right balance between coaching strategy and player execution to achieve the results the nation expects,” Thompson added.

Local rugby fan Riaan Cloete said the upcoming games will be a stern test for Namibia. “They should approach it with everything they have,” he remarked.

Chair of World Rugby, Brett Robinson described the qualification tournament as “the ultimate test of resilience, belief, and ambition,” adding that only one team will earn the right to join the global showpiece in Australia.

Once the final qualification concludes, attention will turn to Sydney for the official Rugby World Cup 2027 draw on 3 December 2025. The 24 qualified teams will be divided into four bands of six, based on the men’s World Rugby Rankings as of 1 December 2025, before being drawn randomly into six pools of four. -Additional information: rugbyworldcup.com

Upcoming fixtures:

Match day 1 to 8 November 2025

17h00 – Samoa vs Paraguay

19h30 – Belgium vs Namibia

Match day 2 to 13 November 2025

17h00 – Belgium vs Paraguay

19h30 – Samoa vs Namibia

Match day 3 to 18 November 2025

17h00 – Namibia vs Paraguay

19h30 – Samoa vs Belgium