Portugal Colonial - 'Historic' final a record sell-out, says Rugby women's World Cup chief

Officials also announced that more than 375,000 tickets have been sold across all 32 matches, at eight venues, with the tournament starting Friday when hosts and favourites England face the United States at Sunderland's Stadium of Light.

Selling out Twickenham, the southwest London home of English rugby union, for the final on September 27 had long been an ambition of tournament organisers, and it is one they have now achieved even before the event kicks off.

The previous record attendance for a stand-alone women's rugby match was set at last year's Olympic Sevens final in Paris.

"The final we are very confident will be the most attended women's rugby match in history, easily surpassing the 66,000 crowd that we saw in Paris 2024. I can confirm today that the final at the Allianz (Twickenham) Stadium will be sold out," Women's RWC 2025 chair Gill Whitehead told reporters.

Whitehead, recalling the last time England hosted the event in 2010, when the final was staged at the nearby Twickenham Stoop, the home of London club Harlequins, added: "The last time England hosted the Women's Rugby World Cup, the girls played (the final) at the Stoop around the corner to a crowd of 13,000.

"I started playing women's rugby 30 years ago and the prospect of girls running out of the tunnel, playing to the three tiers of the Allianz packed to the rafters is something perhaps I never hoped or thought I would see and it's certainly what girls' dreams are made of."

England's Red Roses have lost only once in their past 58 matches - a defeat by New Zealand in the Covid-delayed 2022 World Cup final.

Yet they have lost five of the last six World Cup finals to New Zealand, with 2014 -- when England beat Canada in the showpiece match -- their most recent global 15-a-side title.

Even though New Zealand and England have monopolised the final in recent editions, tournament managing director Sarah Massey said the tournament would be "unmissable" for fans of the sport.

"We're ready to break records in attendances, viewership and engagement. This is going to be the biggest global celebration of women's rugby that we have ever seen," said Massey.

"We're really pleased today to be able to announce that we've now sold 375,000 tickets across all those matches, surpassing all our initial ticket targets and really showing what this tournament is going to bring.

"That's three times the number of tickets that were sold for the last Women's Rugby World Cup. Our message to fans is, don't miss out. This is going to be unmissable."

Matches will also be held in Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Northampton, Salford and York.

L.Carrico--PC