‘Bigger, bolder, more accessible’: Tickets schedule for Rugby World Cup 2027 announced

Some of the great and the good in World Rugby and Australian rugby gathered in the Museum of Contemporary Art on the Rocks in Sydney, with its panoramic view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House on supposedly the last sunny day of the week here, to unveil the ticketing programme for the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027.

More than 2.5 million tickets will be released in phases starting with a presale in February 2026 for fans who register before the end of January 2026, with further tickets sold via an application phase in May 2026.

The tournament schedule will be confirmed next January and following the draw for the expanded 24-team tournament in early December, although expressions of interest for tickets can be registered from this Wednesday onwards.

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The World Rugby chairman, former Wallaby player Brett Robinson, said that RWC 2027 would be “the biggest and most accessible” tournament in history.

To that end, one million tickets will be available for under 100 Australian dollars, or €56, and will start at 40 Australian dollars, or to €22.50 for adults, with children’s tickets available from just 20 Australian dollars.

Tickets will be released in phases starting with a presale in February 2026 for fans who register before the end of January 2026, with further tickets sold via an application phase in May 2026.

However, those with deeper pockets can also purchase new ‘Superfan Pass offers’, guaranteed access to buy up to four tickets for any of the 52 matches. There will be 2,027 passes, which will on sale from August 5th. There will also be ‘Premium Experience packages’ for selected matches on sale from July 30th, and ticket-inclusive travel packages from January 2026.

The tournament, to be held from October 1st to November 13th, 2027, will be hosted by seven cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Newcastle and Townsville, with the final being held in Sydney.

Robinson said: “This ticketing programme has been designed with one simple principle: put the fans first. For the first time in over two decades, Men’s Rugby World Cup returns to Australian shores, and we’re determined to make it bigger, bolder, and more accessible than ever before.”

Asked if the organisers had missed a trick in not having the final at the MCG, World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin said: “The amazing thing here is it’s such a competitive environment between states and cities for sports content.

“Sydney put their best foot forward, and were an amazing host of the semi-finals and final in 2003. I had the privilege of being here then. They will be again in 2027. What we saw on Saturday is that rugby can make some noise in Melbourne as well. We’re looking forward to Melbourne being part of that tournament. There’s a stadium in Perth that wasn’t there in 2003 – that’s amazing.

“The venue landscape is really exceptional. We’re excited to get access to those great venues.”

There will be six groups of four, and 36 pool matches to whittle the teams down from 24 to 16, and all matches in this calendar year will contribute the seeding for the draw. In other words Ireland need to stay in the top six to ensure a top tier seeding.

All but six of the 24 places in the final have been filled, with Hong Kong China, Zimbabwe and Spain the most recent qualifiers, and Gilpin could scarcely conceal his hopes that Spain, who are bidding for the 2035 tournament, might one day host a World Cup.

“They are a fantastic market for any sport. I was there recently and they are good at obviously football, basketball, handball, golf, tennis, athletics. The Spanish sporting ecosystem invests in sport as a whole; they have got an incredibly supportive government, they have got a great relationship with La Liga as the entity that has got the access to the venues for them. They are going to host a Fifa World Cup in 2030, they have poured in more investment into what is already a great sports infrastructure so they are a really exciting prospect for rugby, not just for future Rugby World Cups.”

Nor did Gilpin bridle at the threat which the proposed R360 might pose to the World Cup.

“I think it’s hard to say. We need to have a dialogue with those guys when they are ready to do that. Rugby needs investment. Rugby is, and Australia is, a great example, in a really competitive environment. Around the world, every sport and beyond sport is competing in an ever more difficult attention economy. Investment into the game is great – as long as that investment is driving into the right areas and creating a more financially sustainable game for players, for the wider ecosystem, then we encourage it. We’ve got to understand what that means in the R360 case.”

Key dates in RWC 27 ticketing

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