Twickenham set for record-breaking crowd as women’s rugby World Cup final sells out

The Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham has officially sold out, paving the way for what is expected to be the largest ever crowd at a one-off women’s rugby match.

All 82,000 seats have been snapped up at the Allianz Stadium in west London, guaranteeing a landmark moment for the sport. The record will comfortably eclipse the previous high of 66,000 spectators at Paris 2024, when fans flocked to the Stade de France for the opening day of the women’s rugby sevens.

It will also dwarf the domestic record set in 2023, when 58,498 supporters packed Twickenham to watch England beat France in the Six Nations.

The surge in ticket sales reflects how far the women’s game has grown in a relatively short period. When England last hosted the tournament in 2010, the final was played at the smaller Twickenham Stoop with a crowd of just 13,000.

“This final is going to be a dream realised,” said Gill Whitehead, chair of the 2025 Rugby World Cup. “The girls running out of the tunnel to the three tiers of a packed Allianz Stadium is something I never thought I would see. It is what girls’ dreams are made of.”

Across the 32-match tournament, which begins on Friday, 22 August, more than 375,000 of the 470,000 tickets available have already been sold. That figure is more than three times the total tickets shifted for the last Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

The Red Roses, as England’s women are known, have been instrumental in building this momentum. Their recent fixtures have regularly drawn huge crowds, including 48,778 against Ireland and 41,523 against New Zealand at Twickenham last year.

The growing appetite for women’s rugby is also reflected in international figures. The last Rugby World Cup final in 2021, when England were narrowly beaten 34-31 by New Zealand in a thriller at Eden Park, drew a crowd of 42,579. What seemed remarkable then now looks modest by comparison.

For many in the sport, Twickenham’s sell-out is more than a record. It is a cultural turning point, proof that women’s rugby can fill the biggest stages on its own terms.

The Rugby World Cup organisers have also confirmed that the four semi-finalists from this year’s edition will automatically qualify for the 2029 tournament in Australia, further underlining the drive to secure long-term growth and stability.

The excitement building around the final is not just about numbers. It is about the chance for thousands of young girls to see their heroes on the grandest of platforms. For Whitehead and others, the packed stands will send a powerful message about what is possible.

“This is the future of the sport,” she said. “It shows that women’s rugby is not just growing – it is thriving.”

The Women’s Rugby World Cup final kicks off at 19:30 BST on Friday 22 August at Twickenham, with live coverage on BBC One, BBC Radio 5 Live, and across the BBC Sport website and app.