Rugby World Cup: Shades of 2019 and 2023 cock-up as ‘voluntary admission’ sees minnows banished from 2027 final qualifier
Paraguay, inset, have been kicked out of the 2027 Rugby World Cup final qualification tournament
The Rugby World Cup player ineligibility curse has struck again, with Paraguay barred from taking part in next month’s final qualifier for the 2027 finals in Australia.
Romania and Spain were banished from the 2019 final in Japan after it was revealed they had used ineligible players in the qualifiers, and that same misfortune affected the Spanish four years later after they had qualified for 2023 in France.
Whereas those teams had already qualified for the tournament before their tickets were revoked, Paraguay’s issue emerged ahead of the final qualification competition – providing officials with sufficient time to call-up Brazil to play at the event and see if they have what it takes to qualify.
Paraguay were set to battle Belgium, Namibia and Samoa in the round-robin qualifier tournament that commences on November 8, but their place has now gone to Brazil, whom they easily beat this month on an aggregate two-match score of 70-43.
“Difficult moment for our team and our community…”
World Rugby have confirmed that Paraguay fell foul of regulation eight which governs player eligibility, an oversight which they self-reported to officials.
A statement read: “World Rugby can confirm that Brazil will replace Paraguay at the Final Qualification Tournament for men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Dubai (November 8-18) as a consequence of Paraguay withdrawing from the competition, having discovered that they fielded an ineligible player in the recent play-off matches between the two teams.
“World Rugby welcomes Paraguay’s voluntary admission of fault and accepts the explanation that an administration oversight led to the fielding of an ineligible player for both qualifiers against Brazil.”
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Paraguayan Rugby Union president Gustavo Borgognon said: “This is a difficult moment for our team and our community, but it’s a decision we must make as men of principle, in keeping with rugby’s core value of integrity.
“The regulation eight provision on player eligibility was misunderstood; there was no attempt to gain a sporting advantage, and we accept responsibility for the resulting consequences.
“On behalf of the PRU, I extend our deepest gratitude to everyone whose dedication brought this sporting milestone to life. Rugby in Paraguay has advanced significantly through sustained effort and commitment.
“Our high-performance programmes are producing results, and by continuing to work together we will recover and keep growing the sport we love.”