The pool stage is due to take place on September 18, 23 and 28 at Waitakere Stadium and Whangarei’s Northland Events Centre, followed by the quarter-finals on October 3. 

Auckland's Eden Park will then host the semi-finals, scheduled for October 9, with the bronze medal match and final taking place on October 16. 

The tournament brand, developed by World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby in consultation with local cultural advisors, was also unveiled. 

It features the "Ngaru", a symbol of the ocean waves surrounding New Zealand. 

"Women’s rugby is the single-biggest opportunity to grow the global game, and we are confident that New Zealand 2021 will be one of the great Rugby World Cups, attracting a new fan and player base for the sport," said World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont.

"RWC 2021 follows a hugely successful 2017 event in Ireland which broke attendance and broadcast records, having a hugely positive impact on women’s rugby. 

"Last year we successfully launched ‘Try and Stop Us’, a campaign that aims to drive increased participation and engagement among fans, audiences, players and investors in the women’s game.

"It is a privilege to be here in New Zealand and to see the huge amount of work that has already gone into ensuring this will be another spectacular tournament for the world’s best women’s teams."

The launch event was held at Eden Park, with New Zealand players Kendra Cocksedge, Aleisha-Pearl Nelson, Charmaine McMenamin, Ruahei Demant and Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu running a skills and drills session with children from local schools. 

For New Zealand viewers, all games will be broadcast live and on demand by official RWC 2021 host broadcast rights holder Spark Sport, with selected games televised free-to-air.

RWC 2021 is the first tournament to adopt a gender-neutral naming approach after World Rugby announced last year that its flagship 15s and sevens events will no longer include gender in their titles, furthering its commitment to equality and brand consistency.

"We are proud that RWC has adopted a gender-neutral naming approach to its properties – a bold and important move – and we are looking forward to seeing this come to life following the unveiling of the tournament brand here in Auckland today," Sir Bill said. 

New Zealand will be aiming for their sixth World Cup title, going into the 2021 edition as defending champions. 

A group of 12 teams are due to contest the tournament in total.