Regional Association: Oceania Rugby

Oceania Rugby is centred on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean and contains three sub-regions of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, along with the continent of Australia. Oceania has a population of 41 million – the majority in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea – and a land mass of nine million square kilometres, albeit spread out over 58 million square kilometres.

Rugby, first played in the region in 1864, is one of the most prominent sports in Oceania and the national sport of New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. The region features some of the most successful nations in world rugby, but events like the Oceania Cup also help to foster growth in developing nations.

Oceania is home to five of the nine Rugby World Cup winners (two for Australia and three for New Zealand), while New Zealand won four successive Women’s Rugby World Cup titles from 1998-2010 and another in 2017. In rugby sevens, Fiji’s men's team and Australia's women's team won the first ever Olympic sevens gold medals at Rio 2016. In Tokyo in 2020, Fiji's men retained their title and the women's title was won by New Zealand.