THE Rugby World Cup is about to get going as Japan face Russia in the opening match.
Eddie Jones' England meanwhile are looking to build on three out of four wins in their warm-up games and will kick off against Tonga on Sunday.
The Red Rose convincingly beat Wales, Ireland and Italy at home but lost to the Welsh on their travels.
And in the tie of the weekend, heavyweights New Zealand and South Africa face off in Yokohama.
When is the Rugby World Cup?
The Rugby World Cup kicks off on Friday, September 20, with host nation Japan taking on Russia.
The final will take place on Saturday, November 2 at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama.
The competition finale was set to be held at the National Olympic Stadium, which will be the main stage for the 2020 Summer Olympics, before being changed.
Rugby World Cup groups
There will 20 teams taking part in the tournament, initially split into four groups – with Namibia the lowest ranked side heading to Japan.
Pool A: Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Russia, Samoa
Pool B: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Namibia, Canada
Pool C: England, France, Argentina, USA, Tonga
Pool D: Australia, Wales, Georgia, Fiji, Uruguay
Rugby World Cup fixtures
The fixtures and kick-off times for the Rugby World Cup are as follows (brackets indicate Japanese time):
Friday, September 20: Japan vs Russia – 11.45am (7.45pm)
Saturday, September 21: Australia vs Fiji – 5.45am (1.45pm)
Saturday, September 21: France vs Argentina – 8.15am (4.15pm)
Saturday, September 21: New Zealand vs South Africa – 10.45am (6.45pm)
Sunday, September 22: Italy vs Namibia – 6.15am (2.15pm)
Sunday, September 22: Ireland vs Scotland – 8.45am (4.45pm)
Sunday, September 22: England vs Tonga – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Monday, September 23: Wales vs Georgia – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Tuesday, September 24: Russia vs Samoa – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Wednesday, September 25: Fiji vs Uruguay – 6.15am (2.15pm)
Thursday, September 26: Italy vs Canada – 8.45am (4.45pm)
Thursday, September 26: England vs USA – 11.45am (7.45pm)
Saturday, September 28: Argentina vs Tonga – 5.45am (1.45pm)
Saturday, September 28: Japan vs Ireland – 8.15am (4.15pm)
Saturday, September 28: South Africa vs Namibia – 10.45am (6.45pm)
Sunday, September 29: Georgia vs Uruguay – 6.15am (2.15pm)
Sunday, September 29: Australia vs Wales – 8.45am (4.45pm)
Monday, September 30: Scotland vs Samoa – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Wednesday, October 2: France vs USA – 8.45am (4.45pm)
Wednesday, October 2: New Zealand vs Canada – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Thursday, October 3: Georgia vs Fiji – 6.15am (2.15pm)
Thursday, October 3: Ireland vs Russia – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Friday, October 4: South Africa vs Italy – 10.45am (6.45pm)
Saturday, October 5: Australia vs Uruguay – 6.15am (2.15pm)
Saturday, October 5: England vs Argentina – 9am (5pm)
Saturday, October 5: Japan vs Samoa – 11.30am (7.30pm)
Sunday, October 6: New Zealand vs Namibia – 5.45am (1.45pm)
Sunday, October 6: France vs Tonga – 8.45am (4.45pm)
Tuesday, October 8: South Africa vs Canada – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Wednesday, October 9: Argentina vs USA – 5.45am (1.45pm)
Wednesday, October 9: Scotland vs Russia – 8.15am (4.15pm)
Wednesday, October 9: Wales vs Fiji – 10.45am (6.45pm)
Friday, October 11: Australia vs Georgia – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Saturday, October 12: New Zealand vs Italy – 5.45am (1.45pm)
Saturday, October 12: England vs France – 9.15am (5.15pm)
Saturday, October 12: Ireland vs Samoa – 11.45am (7.45pm)
Sunday, October 13: Namibia vs Canada – 4.15am (12.15pm)
Sunday, October 13: USA vs Tonga – 6.45am (2.45pm)
Sunday, October 13: Wales vs Uruguay – 9.15am (5.15pm)
Sunday, October 13: Japan vs Scotland – 11.45am (7.45pm)
Saturday, October 19: Winner Pool C vs Runner-up Pool D – 8.15am (4.15pm)
Saturday, October 19: Winner Pool B vs Runner-up Pool A – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Sunday, October 20: Winner Pool D vs Runner-up Pool C – 8.15am (4.15pm)
Sunday, October 20: Winner Pool A vs Runner-up Pool B – 11.15am (7.15pm)
Saturday, October 26: Winner Quarter-final 1 vs Winner Quarter-final 2 – 9am (5pm)
Sunday, October 27: Winner Quarter-final 3 vs Winner Quarter-final 4 – 9am (6pm)
Friday, November 1: 3rd/4th place play-off – 9am (6pm)
Saturday, November 2: Final – 9am (6pm)
What TV channel is the Rugby World Cup on and can I live stream it?
Having enjoyed success in previous tournament, ITV once again secured the television rights to cover the 2019 competition in Japan and the 2023 World Cup in France.
They will have exclusive rights in the UK, where you will be able to live stream via the ITV Hub.
Can I still get tickets?
Tickets are still available to purchase on a first-come first-served basis on the official Rugby World Cup website.
You will only be allowed to get tickets for one match per day, while you will have to act fast, with a majority of matches low on availability.
Where are the venues?
There will be 12 venues for the tournament, stretching across the nation.
The biggest stadium is Yokohama's International Stadium – the host venue for the final – which has a capacity of 72,372.
The smallest in size is the Kamishi Recovery Memorial Stadium, holding 16,187 – hosting just two matches, Fiji vs Uruguay and Namibia vs Canada.
The venues are as follows:
- Tokyo Stadium, Chofu – 49,970 capacity
- International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama – 72,372 capacity
- Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Fukuroi – 50,889 capacity
- Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiosaka – 30,000 capacity
- Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium, Fukuoka – 22,563 capacity
- Sapporo Dome, Sapporo – 41,410 capacity
- City of Toyota Stadium, Toyota – 45,000 capacity
- Oita Stadium, Oita – 40,000 capacity
- Kumamoto Stadium, Kumamoto – 32,000 capacity
- Kobe Misaki Stadium, Kobe – 30,132 capacity
- Kumagaya Rugby Stadium, Kumagaya – 24,000 capacity
- Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium, Kamaishi – 16,187 capacity
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