The other seven venues include Sandy Park in Exeter, Salford Community Stadium in Manchester, Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton, Brighton’s Amex Stadium, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, York Community Stadium and Ashton Gate in Bristol.
8:34 AM UK Tuesday 22 August 2023
Twickenham has been selected as one of eight host cities for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England in 2025.
England beat France 38-33 in front of a world record crowd of 58,498 for the women’s team at Twickenham earlier this year, the first time a stand-alone Red Roses Test has been played at the stadium. The 82,000 capacity venue is likely to host the final in 2025.
England player Ellie Kildunne describes the feeling of playing in front of a record crowd for a women’s international at Twickenham
A mix of rugby and football stadiums make up a further seven venues, including traditional rugby hotspots Sandy Park in Exeter, Salford Community Stadium in Manchester and Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton.
Brighton’s Amex Stadium, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, York Community Stadium and Bristol’s dual-purpose Ashton Gate are among the selected football grounds. The Stadium of Light is the second largest venue with a capacity of 49,000.
The 10th edition of the Women’s Rugby World Cup will take place from August 22 to September 27, with the number of competing teams increasing from 12 to 16.
The record total attendance at the Women’s Rugby World Cup was in New Zealand last year, with more than 140,000 fans attending matches. The tournament was last held in England in 2010.
Two-time winners, in 1994 and 2014, England lost 34-31 to New Zealand in last year’s final at Eden Park, the hosts’ sixth success in the competition.
England, New Zealand, France and Canada have already qualified for the 2025 tournament, while the remaining participants will be determined by their placings in the new annual World Rugby WXV tournament and regional competitions.
World Rugby and the Rugby Football Union announced the host venues for 2025 on Tuesday. Sue Day, the RFU’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer, said the expansion would give potential new fans “a chance to be inspired by world-class sporting action”.
“It’s access to tournaments like these that can ignite a spark in people and hopefully encourage a new generation of people to try rugby,” she added.
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