The tournament is organized by World Rugby to be held on 20–22 July 2018, with sixteen teams in attendance. Automatic qualification is extended the semi-finalists of the previous World Cup (of which host United States is one). Four other bids were determined by placement in the 2016-17 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, with the remainder decided in each of the six regions' respective tournaments.[1]
The tournament was held 16–17 September 2017 in Monastir, Tunisia,[2] with South Africa beating Kenya 17–12 to obtain the one allotted Africa slot for the World Cup.
The 2017 Torneo Valentín Martínez served as the South American qualifier, with the winner heading to the World Cup. It was held at Carrasco Polo Club in Montevideo, Uruguay on November 10-11.[4]
Eight teams competed in Suva, Fiji on 10-11 November 2017, with Australia, Fiji and New Zealand already qualified.[7] Papua New Guinea, as the highest-ranked team not yet qualified, was eligible.