Why are hosts Australia not one of the top seeds?published at 08:41 GMT
Australia find themselves in band two of the World Cup seedings after dropping down to seventh in the current world rankings.
The tournament hosts failed to make it into the group of top six seeds after winning just five of 15 Tests in 2025, including a 2-1 series defeat to the British & Irish Lions.
They lost four of their six games in the 2025 Rugby Championship – which includes home and away matches against South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina.
And the Wallabies were on the losing side in all four matches of the recent Autumn Internationals – in England, Ireland and France, as well as a 26-19 loss to Italy in Udine.
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