Sydney (AFP) - Hosts Australia will face debutants Hong Kong in the opening game of next year’s Rugby World Cup, with defending champions South Africa kicking off against Italy, organisers announced Tuesday.

Australia, two-time winners, will take on the new boys in Pool A on October 1 to start the tournament at the 60,000-capacity Perth Stadium.

The stand-out fixture in that group sees the Wallabies face three-time champions New Zealand on October 9 at Stadium Australia in Sydney, after the All Blacks play Chile a week earlier.

Holders South Africa begin their bid for a historic third straight title against Italy on October 3, before meeting Georgia the following week and then Romania seven days later.

“To kick off our campaign against Hong Kong will be special given it’s their first time in a World Cup and we always feel incredibly well supported in Perth,” said Australia skipper Harry Wilson.

“New Zealand a week later in Sydney will obviously be a massive occasion.

“Personally, I’m thrilled our third pool game is in my home city of Brisbane against Chile who are one of the rapidly improving nations in World Rugby and will be a massive challenge.”

Hong Kong coach Logan Asplin said it was a nice surprise and an honour to be in the tournament opener.

“If we talked about the excitement of us being there for the first time, that only really enhances that excitement, doesn’t it?” he said.

“It allows another piece of history for us and to be part of that.”

Asplin added that the timing of the fixture could work in Hong Kong’s favour as they attempt to come third in their pool, which could be good enough for a place in the last 16.

“What I do like is playing on the Friday and then allowing us an eight-day turnaround for the next game against Chile,” he said.

“That’s the one that we’re really going to target.”

Other feature clashes see England play Wales on October 16 and Ireland take on Scotland on October 10 in an expanded tournament featuring 24 teams for the first time.

Zimbabwe will return to the competition for the first time since 1991 and meet Wales in their opener, on October 2 in Adelaide.

Antoine Dupont’s France begin their campaign against the United States on the same day in Melbourne.

“The wait is over,” World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said.

“This is the moment teams and fans have been waiting for and the start of their Rugby World Cup 2027 journey.

“We’ve assembled the most compelling match schedule to date, carefully designed to balance player welfare, fan experience and global reach.”

Only four teams have won the World Cup – South Africa (4), New Zealand (3), Australia (2) and England (1).