The first tournament referred to as the Women's Rugby World Cup was held in 1991 and hosted by Wales.

Eleven countries competed in the tournament with the English meeting the United States in the final for the second time; however, in this instance England emerged as winners.

[7] The 2017 World Cup was hosted by the Irish Rugby Football Union, which governs the sport on an All-Ireland basis.

The tournament was to return to a four-year cycle afterward,[10] with the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup awarded to New Zealand.

World Rugby stated that the decision was intended to promote gender equality and "[eliminate] any inherent or perceived bias" towards men's events, with chairman Bill Beaumont explaining that it "demonstrates our ongoing and unwavering commitment to advancing women in rugby both on and off the field in line with our ambitious strategic plan."

[11] The 2021 tournament in New Zealand was postponed by one year to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; it will still be branded as the 2021 Rugby World Cup.

[13] On 12 May 2022, World Rugby announced that England, Australia and the United States would host the next three women's tournaments in 2025, 2029, and 2033 respectively.

World Rugby stated that the rebranding was meant to "promote unity across the tournament and provide clarity and consistency for fans".

Nations were moved into divisions dictated by their respective overall tournament ranking with the top teams proceeding to the knockout stages.

[20] The 2021 tournament retained the same format, but with the classification round replaced with quarter-finals, as with the men's Rugby World Cup.

[23] In Ireland the Women's Rugby World Cup was broadcast by TG4 in 2014, the Irish language channel received praise for airing the tournament.

[24] Certain matches in the 2017 WRWC knockout phases drew strong TV viewership in England and France, and were broadcast live in the United States.