Rugby Union World Cup 2023
| Rugby Union World Cup 2023 | |
| 2023 Rugby World Cup | |
| Number of nations | 20th |
| venue |
 France
|
| Opening game | September 8, 2023 |
| Endgame | October 21, 2023 |
| Games | 48 |
| ← 2019 | |
| 2027 → | |
The 10th Rugby Union World Cup is scheduled to take place in France from September 8 to October 21, 2023 . This is the second time France has played host to the 2007 World Cup . The country was chosen as the host by the World Rugby Federation in July 2017 ; Ireland and South Africa were other applicants .
Applications
After the start of the tendering process in May 2015, the state associations interested in hosting had until June 1, 2017 to submit their candidacy. France had the 2007 World Cup hosts. The Fédération Française de Rugby officially submitted its candidacy for the 2023 World Cup on February 9, 2017, which included 19 possible venues and an environmentally friendly transport concept. The number of venues was initially reduced to twelve and finally to nine.
South Africa , which hosted the 1995 World Cup , was considered the favorite after the 2011, 2015 and 2019 candidacies failed. In April 2016, the government of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) banned any further promotion of the candidacy because its efforts to integrate black players into the national team had so far been inadequate. The SARU was able to convince the Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula of the opposite in negotiations , whereupon he lifted the ban again. The candidacy, officially submitted on May 9, 2017, called for games in the following eight cities: Bloemfontein , Durban , Johannesburg , Cape Town , Mbombela , Port Elizabeth , Pretoria and Soweto .
The governments of Ireland and Northern Ireland as well as the Irish Rugby Football Union had already announced in a joint declaration on December 5, 2014 their intention to apply to host the event. In general, the odds were good, especially since Ireland had never hosted and an agreement was reached to use several Gaelic Athletic Association stadiums (including Croke Park ). Twelve stadiums were planned in the nine cities of Belfast , Castlebar , Cork , Derry , Dublin , Galway , Killarney , Kilkenny and Limerick .
Italy was also interested in running and the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) issued a letter of intent in March 2015. The planned venues were Rome , Bari , Bologna , Florence , Genoa , Milan , Naples , Padua , Palermo , Turin and Udine . However, on September 28, 2016, the FIR withdrew the candidacy. The reason for this was the decision by Rome's mayor Virginia Raggi not to support a candidacy for the Summer Olympics in 2024 , which is why support for the rugby World Cup also appeared questionable.
The three remaining associations presented their candidacies to the World Rugby Delegate Assembly on September 25, 2017. By October 31, a neutral commission of experts analyzed the submitted documents on the basis of five criteria. She rated South Africa's candidacy best, ahead of France and Ireland. The Assembly of Delegates met in London on November 15, 2017 . Contrary to the recommendation of the commission of experts, she gave preference to France's candidacy, which prevailed in the second ballot with 24 out of 39 votes.
qualification
A total of 20 teams are to take part, with the host France automatically being entitled to participate. All eight quarter-finalists of the 2019 World Cup and the four third-place finishers in the preliminary round groups are qualified for the tournament. Eight more places will be awarded in continental qualifying tournaments, as France has also achieved sporting qualification in addition to the host role. Unless there is a change in the allocation practice, two places will be reserved for the continental associations of America and Oceania and one each for Africa and Europe. The last two starting positions would be played in an intercontinental qualifying round and a repechage.
Are qualified (as of November 2, 2019):
| country | Qualification basis | Previous World Cup participations |
best result | World ranking | Continental Association |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
France
|
host | 9 | 2nd place (1987, 1999, 2011) | 7th | Europe |
 Argentina
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 9 | 3rd place (2007) | 10 | South America |
 Australia
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 9 | 1st place (1991, 1999) | 6th | Oceania |
 England
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 9 | 1st place (2003) | 3 | Europe |
 Fiji
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 8th | Quarterfinals (2007, 2011) | 11 | Oceania |
 Ireland
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 9 | Quarter-finals (1987, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) | 4th | Europe |
 Italy
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 9 | Group stage (1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) | 12 | Europe |
 Japan
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 9 | Quarter Finals (2019) | 8th | Asia |
 New Zealand
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 9 | 1st place (1987, 2011, 2015) | 1 | Oceania |
 Scotland
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 9 | 4th place (1991) | 9 | Europe |
 South Africa
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 7th | 1st place (1995, 2007, 2019) | 5 | Africa |
.svg){kind=small} Wales
|
Top 3 group stage of the 2019 World Cup | 9 | 3rd place (1987) | 2 | Europe |
Venues
On March 17, 2017, the management of the Fédération Française de Rugby presented twelve cities as possible venues. On May 31, 2017, three cities were removed from the list ( Lens , Montpellier , Paris ).
| Saint-Denis | Marseille | Lyon ( Décines-Charpieu ) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stade de France | Stade Velodrome | Stade des Lumières | |||
| Capacity: 80,056 | Capacity: 67,404 | Capacity: 59,186 | |||
|
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|
|
|||
| Lille ( Villeneuve-d'Ascq ) |
|
Bordeaux | |||
| Stade Pierre-Mauroy | Stade Atlantique | ||||
| Capacity: 50,095 | Capacity: 42,115 | ||||
|
|
||||
| Saint-Etienne | Nantes | ||||
| Stade Geoffroy-Guichard | Stade de la Beaujoire | ||||
| Capacity: 41,965 | Capacity: 35,322 | ||||
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| Nice | Toulouse | ||||
| Stade Riviera | Stadium de Toulouse | ||||
| Capacity: 34,615 | Capacity: 33,150 | ||||
|
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Web links
- France 2023 website (English / French / Japanese / Spanish)
- Archived candidacy website (English / French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Candidate unions submit RWC 2023 bid files as hosting race ramps-up. World Rugby , June 1, 2017, accessed August 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Rugby: France launch 2023 World Cup bid. The Straits Times , February 10, 2017, accessed August 21, 2019 .
- ↑ SA Rugby responds to Mbalula's bombshell. Sport24, April 25, 2016, accessed on August 21, 2019 .
- ↑ SA focus RWC 2023 bid on 8 stages. Sport24, July 17, 2017, accessed on August 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Ireland confirms bid for 2023 Rugby World Cup. RTÉ , December 6, 2014, accessed on August 21, 2019 .
- ^ A tournament like no other. Irish Rugby Football Union , 2016, archived from the original on January 24, 2018 ; accessed on August 21, 2019 (English).
- ^ Italy to run against Ireland in World Cup bid. RTÉ , March 5, 2015, accessed on August 21, 2019 .
- ^ Rugby World Cup 2023, identificati gli stadi per la candidatura italiana. RTÉ , August 12, 2016, accessed on August 21, 2019 (Italian).
- ↑ FIR withdraws from RWC 2023 hosting process. World Rugby , September 28, 2016, accessed August 21, 2019 .
- ^ Rome 2024 Olympic bid collapses in acrimony. BBC News , September 21, 2016, accessed August 21, 2019 .
- ↑ La Coupe du monde de rugby 2023 devrait échapper à la France. Le Monde , October 31, 2017, accessed on August 21, 2019 (French).
- ↑ Rugby: la France déjoue les Pronostics et organisera la Coupe du monde en 2023. Le Monde , November 15, 2017. Retrieved on August 21, 2019 (French).
- ↑ # France2023: Douze villes hôtes retenues. Fédération Française de Rugby , March 17, 2017, accessed on August 21, 2019 (French).
- ^ Coupe du monde de rugby 2023: Paris, Lens et Montpellier écartées de la candidature française. L'Équipe , May 31, 2017, accessed on August 21, 2019 (French).
