List of international rugby union teams

Last updated July 26, 2025

The following is a list of international rugby union teams:

National teams – band classification

Starting in 2008, in addition to the existing tier system, the IRB introduced a four-band system of classification in which unions are classified based on "their development status and record on the international stage". The new structure is:^[1]

High performance

All countries previously in Tiers 1 and 2. Now under "High Performance" status are still divided in "Tier 1" and "Tier 2".

Tier 1

Tier 2

Developmental

Development One

Developmental

European countries

North & South American countries

African countries

Asian countries

Oceanian countries

Note: World Rugby associates in italics.

Other teams

Rugby Africa teams not affiliated to World Rugby

Benin
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Gabon
Guinea
Malawi
Mozambique
Niger
Seychelles
Sierra Leone

Asia Rugby teams not affiliated to World Rugby

Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Iraq
Macau
Oman
Palestine
Saudi Arabia

Rugby Europe teams not affiliated to World Rugby

Rugby Americas North teams not affiliated to World Rugby

Oceania Rugby teams not affiliated to World Rugby

‡ Associate member of Oceania Rugby

Sudamerica Rugby teams not affiliated to World Rugby

Teams with affiliation suspended or without affiliation

Multinational teams

The British and Irish Lions.
Established in 1950, East Africa conducted seven tours between 1954 and 1982 and played against incoming international, representative and club touring sides including twice against the British Lions; perhaps the only example of representative (as opposed to invitational) multinational teams playing against each other. They also played against the Barbarians.
- Kenya
- Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika)
- Uganda
A similar development in 2004 has been the Pacific Islanders team.
The South American Jaguars were a combination team who played South Africa during the early 1980s.
The African Leopards are a development side drawn from across Africa, they have played representative rugby union against South African students.
The Arabian Gulf rugby union team combined various teams from Arab countries in the Persian Gulf and competed in World Cup qualification. The Arabian Gulf Rugby Union has now been dismantled and responsibility for the game devolved to each of the member nations, although the team may be revived in the future.

There was also a West Indies side, which first toured when the Caribbean Rugby Union sent a team (managed by Gavin Clark) to tour England in 1976. Their last tour was also to England in October and November 2000.
The Commonwealth of Independent States played during the early 1990s.

Defunct national sides

Various national sides have ceased to exist for political reasons. In the case of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, there is more than one successor team. In the case of Catalonia, the Spanish Civil War and Franco's crackdown put an end to it, and in the case of East and West Germany, reunification led to their amalgamation into a single German side.

Arabian Gulf* – dissolved by the end of 2010 and replaced by separate unions and national teams
Catalonia
CIS*
Czechoslovakia
East Africa* – a combination of Kenya, Tanzania/Tanganyika and Uganda. It has not played since 1982 but the Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA) still exists and there have been recent talks to resurrect the team
East Germany
Soviet Union
Yugoslavia

* For more information on these teams see above.

Women's rugby

Defunct women's national sides

Invitation sides

Nomads

Notes and references

↑ "IRB announces increased funding for the game" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rugby Americas North Member
1 2 3 4 5 6 Sudamérica Rugby Member

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[New_classification-1] "IRB announces increased funding for the game" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2008.

[North_America-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rugby Americas North Member

[South_America-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sudamérica Rugby Member

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List of international rugby union teams

Contents

National teams – band classification

High performance

Tier 1

Tier 2

Developmental

Development One

Developmental

Other teams

Multinational teams

Defunct national sides

Women's rugby

Defunct women's national sides

Invitation sides

Notes and references