World Rugby announced Wednesday the draw for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan will be held in the country in May 2017, the first time it will be conducted outside Britain or Ireland.
The draw will be made based on the World Rugby Rankings two years before the showpiece event, unlike for the 2015 World Cup in England when the draw was made three years before the tournament, in order to give teams an extra year to move up the standings and earn a better seeding.
"The pool allocation draw is an important milestone in the run-in to any Rugby World Cup and it really helps to build excitement and momentum," World Rugby chairman Bernard Lapasset said in a press release.
"It will be of huge interest to players and fans to know which sides will be in their pool for what will be a game-changing tournament in Japan."
Chief Executive of Japan Rugby 2019 Akira Shimazu said, "We will be using it as a way to build excitement ahead of what we believe will be an amazing tournament for the game. It will also be another opportunity to build momentum in Japan and add to the increasing excitement that already exists."
With eight places at RWC 2019 up for grabs, the qualification process is already underway as more than 80 teams battle it out to join the 12 already qualified.
Argentina, Australia, England, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales claimed their berths by finishing in the top three of their respective pools in the 2015 tournament.