Italy have competed in all the Rugby World Cup tournaments, having made their first appearance in the inaugural 1987 tournament. They have finished third in their pool at every tournament, except in 1999, the only tournament where they lost more than two games. Having never finished in the top two in their pool, they have never qualified to progress to the quarter-finals. They have won the most matches of those that have never made it to the quarter-finals.
Because they finished third in Pool C of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, they automatically qualified to compete in the 2011 tournament in New Zealand. A similar finishing position in that tournament saw them automatically qualify for the 2015 World Cup in England, where they retained the third place and the automatic qualification for France 2023.
All times are local New Zealand time (UTC+12 until 24 September, UTC+13 from 25 September)
Notes:
Most points in a tournament
Most points in a game
Biggest winning margin
Highest score against
Biggest losing margin
Most tries in a tournament
Most tries in a game
Most appearances
Most points overall
Most points in a game
Most tries overall
Most tries in a game
Most penalty goals
Most penalty goals in a game
The Rugby World Cup is held every four years, and tends to alternate between the northern and southern hemispheres. Italy has yet to host the World Cup, although the Italian Rugby Federation made unsuccessful bids for the 2015 and 2019 competitions.