Media giant Canal Plus has agreed a deal with World Rugby to acquire rights to the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup and 2029 women’s edition across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Through the agreement, the World Cups will be shown on the SuperSport pay-television sports broadcaster and the DStv platform and GOtv pay-TV terrestrial service.
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The men’s tournament will be held in Australia from 1 October to 13 November next year and will be available to subscribers of DStv and GOtv, who will be able to watch matches featuring African representatives South Africa and Zimbabwe.
South Africa’s Springboks will be aiming to defend their title again after back-to-back triumphs in Japan in 2019 and France in 2023 as they chase a historic fifth victory.
Zimbabwe also returns to rugby’s biggest competition for the first time since 1991.
The tournament will also feature other rugby powerhouses such as New Zealand, England, Ireland, France, and hosts Australia.
The 11th edition of the World Cup will expand to 24 teams and feature a new format with a round of 16 for the first time.
Supersport also held rights to the 2023 tournament, alongside New World TV, the Togo-based pan-African satellite television network.
The 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup will also be staged in Australia. It will be the first to be held in the country, and the second in the southern hemisphere following the 2022 edition in New Zealand.
In addition, Canal Plus also confirmed that SuperSport will remain the exclusive broadcaster for the United Rugby Championship (URC) following a multi-year broadcast rights renewal of the Europe-based club competition.
SuperSport will continue to provide coverage in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
In September 2025, Canal Plus closed its acquisition of African TV heavyweight Multichoice and its Supersport TV channel.
David Mignot, Canal Plus Africa CEO and CEO of MultiChoice, said: “Confirming these broadcast rights puts the seal on an incredible occasion for us as the Canal Plus Group, alongside the MultiChoice Group, as we have secured broadcast rights to many major rugby tournaments for our subscribers.
“This is another firm commitment that we are putting our subscribers first by ensuring they never miss out on the best sports content from the continent and from across the globe.”
