Who Will Host The 2023 Rugby World Cup?

Announced in 2017, we take a look at which country will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Who Will Host The 2023 Rugby World Cup?

The 2019 Rugby World Cup is being held in Asia for the first time with Japan hosting the tournament. Awarded way back in 2009, Japan beat out bids from Italy and South Africa for the honour.. But who will host the next Rugby World Cup in 2023? We have answered that very question below.

Who Will Host The 2023 Rugby World Cup?

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be held in France. Held between the 8th of September and 21st of October, it will be the tenth playing of the tournament and will take place in the year of the 200th anniversary of the invention of the game by William Webb Ellis, the man whose name adorns the Rugby World Cup trophy.

Awarded by the World Rugby Council back in November 2017, the bid from the French Rugby Federation beat out bids from South Africa, who hosted the tournament in 1995, and Ireland, who are yet to host the event outright. France winning the vote was perhaps slightly controversial because the council went against the recommendation of South Africa, put forward independently by World Rugby.

In March 2018 12 cities were named as possible venues for matches but this has since been cut down to nine which are:

  • Stade de France, Paris
  • Stade Velodrome, Marseille
  • Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon
  • Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
  • Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux
  • Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne
  • Allianz Riviera, Nice
  • Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
  • Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse

This will be the second time France have hosted the event, doing so in 2007 which provided a mixed bag of results for Les Bleus. In the opening match of the tournament they narrowly lost to Argentina in a match dominated by the boot.

The French still got out of their group though and faced their familiar foes, the All Blacks, once again favourites to win the tournament. As it turned out though the French shocked everyone by winning 20-18 progressing into the semi-finals where they lost to England.

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