Samoa (known as Western Samoa until 1997) have played in every Rugby World Cup since the 1991 tournament. Their omission from the inaugural tournament in 1987 was controversial, as there were no qualifications. Their worst World Cups were in 2007, 2015 and 2019 when they finished fourth in their pool.
See main article: 1991 Rugby World Cup. Pool 3 matches –
------------Quarter final
See main article: 1995 Rugby World Cup. Pool B games –
------------Quarter-finals –
See main article: 1999 Rugby World Cup.
| Qualified for quarter-finals | |
| Qualified for quarter-final play-offs |
------------Quarter-final playoffs
See main article: 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool C.
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See main article: 2007 Rugby World Cup Pool A. ------------
See main article: 2011 Rugby World Cup Pool D. Pool D matches
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See main article: 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B.
| width=15% | width=25% | width=10% | width=25% | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 September 2015 | 25–16 | Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton | |||||
| 26 September 2015 | 46–6 | Villa Park, Birmingham | |||||
| 3 October 2015 | 5–26 | Stadium mk, Milton Keynes | |||||
| 10 October 2015 | 33–36 | St. James' Park, Newcastle |
See main article: 2019 Rugby World Cup Pool A. ------------
See main article: 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool D.
Samoa has not hosted any World Cup games, and has not put in bids for future tournaments. Due to the lack of facilities, and the small size of the island nation, it is unlikely it will do so in the future.
Samoa can be seen playing South Africa in the feature film Invictus based on the 1995 Rugby World Cup.