France will host the Rugby Union World Cup in 2025, 71 years after the very first edition, the French Federation officially announced on Tuesday.
Initially scheduled in the United States and Canada but postponed for financial reasons, the 17th World Cup will be the third edition organized only in France, the first for 53 years, after those of 1954 and 1972, France having also been co -host in 2000 and 2013 with UK and Ireland.
The World Cup award announcement conference was opened by Prime Minister Jean Castex on Tuesday at the Auditorium of the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion (ANCT).
According to the press release from the Fed, France-2025 will bring together four competitions (women, men, armchairs and young people) over five weeks simultaneously, i.e. 158 matches, and will take place in forty cities across the country.
🇫🇷 The Trophy has arrived in Paris and has been handed to Prime Minister Castex by @IntRL Sec-Gen, @KazandjianDanny # France2025 # RLWC2025 pic.twitter.com/Y0eC48a4Mi
- International RL (@IntRL) January 11, 2022
"With this announcement of the return of the Rugby Union World Cup to its homeland, it is wonderful news that is taking shape today for our sport, reacted Luc Lacoste, the president of the French Federation of Rugby Union.
But especially for clubs, managers, licensees, and volunteers.
Australia big favorite
"Designed as an ecologically and economically responsible project, it will be an accelerator for the economy, tourism, employment and vocational training, thanks to the direct and indirect benefits generated by the organization of the competition and to more than 2,000 training courses which will be offered by France-2025 during the years 2023, 2024 and 2025. It will be a popular competition. The average price of a ticket will indeed be less than 30 euros and will thus allow all audiences to participate in this celebration, ”the Federation also welcomed.
France, which has about 13,000 licensees divided into 170 clubs (including 22 women's sections) has never won the event, reaching only the final in 1954 and 1968. In clubs, the Catalan Dragons of Perpignan, finalists last year , and Olympic Toulouse, compete in the Super League against the best English clubs.
Australia, two-time defending champion, have won the competition eleven times and will aim for another success from October 15 to November 19 in England.
Apart from Australia, only two other countries stood out: Great Britain (three times) and New Zealand (once).
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