Rugby World Cup in France 2023: celebrating sports and fraternity

With 48 games played in nine stadiums of host cities, fans and players are preparing to live a great 50-days celebration. A record number of 600,000 international supporters are expected to watch 20 teams from different cultures fight, united in a same sport ideal. According to the organisers, this will be “the perfect celebration of fraternity”!

An iconic field

And the Rugby World Cup 2023 will open on the iconic field of the Stade de France, in the Plaine Saint-Denis (close to French suburbs), to mark the 200 years of this sport.

Officially launched on 8 September 2023 with the opening game of France vs New Zealand, the opening of the Rugby World Cup will be played before 80,000 fans who came from all over the world to support their team.  In total, the Stade de France will host 10 games, including the most prestigious: opening games, two quarter finals, two semi-finals, and of course the finale.

Rugby strongholds

Speaking about the choice of France for this World Cup, the president of World Rugby also said that the country will be “a magnificent host, but not only in Paris, but in all this country that loves great competitions and rugby”. Because, outside Saint-Denis, eight additional French cities are candidates to host various games. Toulouse, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Saint-Etienne, Lyon, Lille and Nice were chosen to be the field of 48 games in the Cup.

Toulouse, which defines itself as the French stronghold of rugby, since it is the cradle of French rugby, will host six games to stay the most iconic city of rugby. And it won’t be alone: in Marseille, rather a land of football, the no less iconic Vélodrome stadium scheduled six games. The Bordeaux stadium will host four, the same as Nantes, Saint-Etienne, and Nice. The cities of Lyon and Lille will both host five games and try to become the new promised land of rugby!

New social and environmental standards

More than rugby, the French ministry of sports says, the Rugby World Cup in France 2023 “wants to set new standards in terms of social and environmental responsibility, inclusion and heritage”.

Four target actions were defined to achieve this:

• act for a circular and sustainable economy;
• commit for education, training and employment;
• respect and protect the environment;
• ensure inclusion and sharing.

In concrete terms, the rugby World Cup signed the charter for responsible and sustainable sporting events with 15 projects to act in a more ecofriendly way. Indeed, organisers signed the World Cup social charter designed to ensure the social exemplarity of host organiser. Finally, the launch of a We Are Rugby promotional campaign was confirmed, a campaign which will highlight “the sport’s collective commitment as an inclusive and respectful tournament”. 

And the President of World Rugby concluded: “So the stage is set, the teams are ready, France is ready, let's get on with this wonderful Rugby World Cup!”

Where to watch and enjoy the games?

To watch the World Cup live and free-to-air in France, you may choose from three TV channels: TF1, France Télévisions and M6 are sharing the rights to broadcast Rugby World Cup 2023 matches. TF1, which has a long-standing partnership with World Rugby, will nevertheless broadcast the competition’s best matches.

In Paris, giant screens will be set up on the Place de la Concorde and match-concerts will be held at the Philharmonie. A Rugby Village will even be open to the public throughout the competition on Place de la Concorde (in the 8th arrondissement of Paris), on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm to 11:30pm. In Seine-Saint-Denis, in Saint-Denis, a fan zone and a giant screen are also planned, as well as in most towns in the Ile-de-France region.

All the host cities are also setting up Rugby Villages, designed “as meeting and celebration areas that will play an essential role in the organisation of the World Cup”, which will be open to the public for the duration of the competition.