Ireland will kick off their WXV3 challenge under new coach Scott Bemand against Kazakhstan on October 13th in Dubai.

World Rugby has unveiled the full match schedule for WXV, the new women’s international 15s competition designed to increase the competitiveness, reach and impact of elite women’s rugby.

The three-level tournament, which begins this October, will see 27 fixtures played across three host countries bringing together the best women’s talent around the world.

Dubai’s iconic The Sevens Stadium has been confirmed as the venue for WXV 3 for the tournament. Ireland will face Colombia on the second weekend of action and will round out the tournament against Spain on October 28th.

With the entire WXV competition set to take place over four weekends between Friday, 13 October until Saturday, 4 November, fans will have the opportunity to watch the world’s top teams compete in Dubai, South Africa and New Zealand.

Ireland will be seeking to gain promotion to WXV2 which in this inaugural year consists of Italy, the USA, Scotland, Japan, Samoa and South Africa.

WXV1 games will be played in New Zealand where the host nation will be joined by England, France, Wales, Australia and Canada

The season kicked off in earnest for the Ireland stars at the weekend with the start of the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship which saw wins for Munster and Connacht and starring roles for several contracted players.

This year there will also be a Finals weekend with the top two and the bottom two teams playing against each other.

“WXV represents the start of a new era for women’s rugby with the three-level tournament model providing opportunities for the best athletes around the world to show their skills on the international stage,” said World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby, Sally Horrox.

“We’ve seen the rapid development of the women’s game in recent years and WXV will push it to another level again.”

“We’re really proud of the exciting array of fixtures on offer and I’ve no doubt we are in for a thrilling competition with some exhilarating matchups on the pitch set to follow.”

“A big thank you to all our hosts. We can’t wait to visit your countries and see the world’s best players compete in these fantastic venues and a huge congratulations to all the teams that have qualified. The stage is now set and we look forward to many memorable moments ahead across October and November.”