2011 Rugby World Cup qualifying began at the 2007 tournament in France, where twelve teams (the first three in each of the four pools) earned a place in the finals of the tournament, this automatically qualified them for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
After much speculation, it was confirmed on 30 November 2007 that 20 teams would contest the next edition of the tournament. The qualification system for the remaining eight places was region-based, with Europe and the Americas allocated two qualifying places, Africa, Asia and Oceania one place each, and the last place determined by a playoff.
With 86 teams participating (directly or indirectly) in regional qualifying competitions, and 12 teams qualifying automatically, 98 nations were involved in the process.
Read more about 2011 Rugby World Cup Qualifying: Qualified Teams, Regional Qualifiers
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