Betting, Teams & More: Everything You Need to Know About Rugby World Cup 2019

History will be made in 2019 with the Rugby World Cup being held in Asia for the first time ever. 20 nations will descend on the Japanese capital Tokyo in September 2019 for what promises to be one of the most unpredictable and widely-covered Rugby World Cups in recent memory.

Whether you’re planning on flying out to Japan to take part in the action or will be viewing from home and betting on your favourite teams, here’s everything you need to know about the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Who, What, When, Why, and Where 

The first thing you need to do is mark the dates in your calendar. The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be taking place on 20 September to 2 November, which means six solid weeks of high-octane sporting action. The majority of fixtures will be taking place in Tokyo, but major games will also be happening in Yokohama, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Sapporo, to name just a few. Major betting platforms will be running odds from all of these events, so make sure to keep an eye out.

On this date, we can expect to see the kick-off match between the hosts Japan and small-fry rugby rookies Russia. Japan has been the unexpected superstar of world rugby in recent years, following its meteoric rise through the ranks to become one of the most formidable teams in the world. This means that in the betting world, Japan will be the hot ticket this year, with people hoping to cash-in on underdog odds. While they still don’t match up to the big five teams, the fact that they’re playing on home turf this year means that anything could happen.

As per usual, twenty nations will be converging on Japan for this year’s cup, with more than a few surprises in the list of qualifiers. While the usual suspects such as England, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia will be out in full force, you can also expect appearances from Georgia, Namibia, Samoa, and Italy, all of whom have really pulled it out in the past couple of years to become serious teams in their own right.

What to Expect on the Pitch 

Now, onto the truly important stuff. Whether you’re jetting out to the Land of the Rising Sun or planning to catch all of the action from your local sports bar, you’ll need to be clued up on what to expect on the pitch this year.

If you’re a betting man, then you probably have your sights set firmly on New Zealand, last year’s winners who have been on an unstoppable blaze of glory recently, and currently enjoy some of the best odds for winning at this year’s cup. The true one to watch is Ireland, who has risen from relative obscurity just a few short years ago to become one of the biggest forces of nature in the sport, absolutely trouncing former bigwigs England throughout 2018.

Before the event kicks off, you’ll want to check out this site to take advantage of as many free bets as possible in order to maximise the bang for your buck. It’s going to be a record-breaking year for betting so make sure you do the right thing and load up on your free bets well in advance.

What to Know if You’re Attending

It’s important to book your flights and hotel well in advance of attending. Room rates in Tokyo are expected to skyrocket over the tournament period, with prices rising most in the month running up to the kick-off.

If you’re a citizen of one of these fifty countries, you will not need a visa in order to enter Japan for the tournament. If you’re not, then you’ll need to arrange for a “short-term visit visa” beforehand, which can be expensive. Unlike Russia during the 2018 World Cup, Japan is not considering a special visa for attendees, although this may change in the future.

Fortunately, if you’re planning on betting on this year’s games, it doesn’t matter where you. You’ll be able to access all of the best sports betting from anywhere in the world, meaning you can still make the most of the action without shelling out for a plane ticket.

So, now you know what to expect, it’s time to book your tickets! Sporting history is destined to be made in Japan this year, so make sure you’re there to witness it.