2023: A Major Year in Rugby History

During one fateful football game in November 1823, a young British student named William Webb Ellis picks up the ball and simply runs for the opponents’ gate – a gesture that marks the birth of rugby. Can you imagine, in 2023, the game of rugby celebrates its 200th birthday!

France hosting the RWC in 2023

France is honoured to host this international event for the second time. Organized every 4 years, the Rugby World Cup will celebrate its 10th edition in 2023!

Rugby Village

From 8 September to 28 October, discover the Rugby Village, located on Place Victor-Hugo, a 10-minute walk from the Stade de France. The Rugby Village will enable local residents and supporters from all over the world to meet up before, during and after the games in a festive and friendly atmosphere. The programme includes shows and concerts, a food and beverage area on match days at the Stade de France, a local produce market, broadcasts of matches taking place at the Stade de France, and a rugby sports entertainment village every day.

Twenty teams from five different continents will fight for the William Webb Ellis trophy this autumn. These teams represent South Africa, England, New Zealand, Wales, Japan, France, Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Argentina, Fiji, Samoa, Georgia, Romania, Uruguay, Namibia, Chile, Tonga, and Portugal.

Host cities

The matches will be held in 9 venues across 10 French cities, one of which is Saint-Denis.

Watch a video about Saint-Denis

The Stade de France stadium will host two quarter finals, two semi-finals, the bronze final, and the final.

Matches at the Stade de France

How are teams qualified?

A strict procedure defines the twenty teams that get to participate in the World Cup. As a result of the Rugby World Cup of 2019, twelve teams were qualified automatically: South Africa, England, New Zealand, Wales, Japan, France, Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Argentina, and Fiji.

The eight remaining teams had to participate in a tournament to be qualified. The matches took place in 2022, and as a result the teams of Samoa, Georgia, Uruguay, Tonga, Namibia, Romania, Chile, and Portugal got a chance to fight for victory in 2023.

Practical info

 

How and where can I buy the tickets?

Check out https://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com/fr, the only official ticketing website. Tickets for individual matches are already on sale.

Rugby World Cup 2023

September 8 to October 28, 2023
https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2023
https://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com/fr
For the latest updates, follow the official RWC social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

Photo credits:

Rugby World Cup France 2023
- except for the Stade de France photo: ©Stade de France® - Macary, Zublena et Regembal, Costantini – Architectes, ADAGP – Paris 2021 / Photos: F.Aguilhon - C.Jamet