The World Rugby U20 Championship, also known as the U20 Rugby World Cup, is the pinnacle of competition for players aged 20 and under. Organised by World Rugby, this tournament replaced the U19 and U21 World Championships.
The inaugural competition took place in 2008, when 16 teams descended on Wales. Two years later, the number of participants was reduced to 12. Today, the tournament retains this 12-team format.
The Under 20 Rugby World Cup has played a significant role in the development of international rugby. A select number of players have gone on to win both the U20 and the senior Rugby World Cup. This includes names like Sam Whitelock, Beauden Barrett and Handré Pollard
The Under 20 Rugby World Cup uses a round-robin format. Teams are divided into three pools of four, with each team playing the others in their pool once. The top team in each pool then advances straight to the semi-final stage. Meanwhile, the best second-place finisher from the three pools also progresses.
Unlike the men’s and women’s version of the competition, the U20 Rugby World Cup is contested on an annual basis. Another key difference is the use of promotion and relegation. The lowest-ranked team in the U20 Championship is relegated to the U20 Trophy, while the winner of the U20 Trophy is promoted to the U20 Championship.
New Zealand is the most successful team in the history of the U20 Rugby World Cup. They won the first four editions and two further titles in 2015 and 2017. The second- and third-most successful nations are England and France with three Championships each.
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