World Rugby has three new member countries. The body announced that it had accepted Nepal, Qatar and Turkey as full members at its annual Council meeting, held in virtual mode. Each of the three national federations was granted this status after having been associate members. Nepal, Qatar and Turkey have all met the necessary governance criteria. With these three new entrants, World Rugby now has 114 full members and 18 associate members. Qatar and Turkey had been associate members since May 2020. Nepal joined in November of the same year.
