The 10th iteration of the Rugby World Cup is now less than two months away, with host nation France currently the bookmakers’ favourites to win the Webb Ellis Cup for the first ever time.
This tournament is also expected to break new ground in terms of attendances and fan engagement, with more than 600,000 visitors expected to pour into the nine stadiums that have been selected to host matches.
Incredibly, the first World Cup held in 1987 (in Australia and New Zealand) drew an average attendance of 20,000 fans per game, so the sport has clearly come a long way in terms of global popularity.
But how can you get involved and watch some or all of the RWC in 2023? Here are a few of your options!
Snap up any Remaining Tickets
A record 2.6 million tickets were made available for the 2023 RWC, with these going on sale in several different phases between March 2021 and April 2022.
Tickets went on sale almost as soon as the Rugby World Cup fixtures were announced, with France’s mouth-watering opener against New Zealand and the latter knockout stage games unsurprisingly among the first to sell out through official channels.
Currently, the official RWC website has limited spaces available for 12 of the 48 scheduled matches, but there are also resale sites that continue to offer tickets to a larger choice of games at variable prices. Two of the best resources include Liverugbytickets.com (which has a rating of 4.4 on Trustpilot) and Ticombo, with the latter site even reselling tickets for the RWC23 final at the time of writing.
Just remember to be selective when choosing resale sites and do your due diligence, while I’d also recommended buying from trusted sellers where possible.
Where to Watch on Television?
If you intend to watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup from your home, the good news is that you’ll be able to watch all the tournament’s games without having to spend too much of your hard-earned cash!
In the UK, ITV has won the exclusive broadcast rights to show the RWC, with every game set to be broadcast live and extensive highlights packages available for any matches you miss. You can stream matches through the ITVX platform, where there’s even the option to upgrade and avoid advertisements for a small fee!
For Irish viewers, live RWC23 action will be broadcast through a combination of RTÉ Player, Virgin TV and Virgin Player, while the final will be simultaneously available across all of these platforms.
Remember, Ireland are currently the world’s number one ranked team, and they’ll arrive in France having never previously had a better chance of winning the tournament.
Visit Fan Parks Throughout the UK
There were plenty of centrally located fan parks in action during the Six Nations, with these dotted across the length and breadth of the UK.
These stretch from Glasgow in the heart of Scotland to Oval Space in East London, with fans parks likely to be erected in major cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool among others ahead of the tournament.
These locations will feature big screens in open air venues and typically broadcast selected games, including those featuring the home nations and the knockout matches.
The availability and location of dedicated fan zones will be announced a little closer to the tournament, so keep your eyes peeled as you’ll need to procure admission tickets ahead of time.