The draw for the tenth Rugby World Cup took place in Paris on Monday afternoon.
Ireland were drawn in Pool B for the tournament along with South Africa, Scotland and two as yet undecided qualifiers.
The draw means that should Ireland qualify for the quarter-finals, they will likely face either New Zealand or the host nation France.
12 teams automatically qualify for the 20-team tournament. Those are: South Africa, New Zealand, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Australia, Japan, Scotland, Argentina, Fiji and Italy.
Ireland were in band 2 for the draw. The seedings were based on the World Rugby rankings as of January 1st, 2020.
2023 Rugby World Cup draw
Pool A
New Zealand
France
Italy
Americas 1
Africa 1
Pool B
South Africa
Ireland
Scotland
Asia/Pacific 1
Europe 2
Pool C
Wales
Australia
Fiji
Europe 1
Qualifier Winner
Pool D
England
Japan
Argentina
Oceania 1
Americas 2
The tournament will take place between September 8th and October 21st, 2023.
The teams were seeded for the draw as follows:
Band 1 - South Africa, New Zealand, England, Wales
Band 2 - Ireland, France, Australia, Japan
Band 3 - Scotland, Argentina, Fiji and Italy
Band 4 - Oceania 1, Americas 1, Europe 1, Asia / Pacific 1
Band 5 - Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2, Final Qualifier Winner
Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
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