The Rugby World Cup trophy. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Reports out of Australia are confirming that the 2027 Rugby World Cup final will be held at Sydney's Accor Stadium. It will be the second time the sport's showpiece event will be held at the 80,000 seat venue, after England triumphed over the Wallabies there in 2003.
As reported in The Age, venues for the rest of the tournament will include Allianz and MacDonald Jones Stadiums in Sydney and Newcastle, as well as Perth's Optus Stadium. The Western Australian city was touted as a potential venue for the final, however will instead host the opening match of the tournament.
It's understood that Rugby Australia (RA) successfully convinced World Rugby to move the tournament from its usual September-October window to start on October 1 and finish on November 13, to make sure the business end avoids a clash with the NRL and AFL finals.
Accor Stadium, the current name of the venue originally called Stadium Australia upon its completion in 1999, also hosted the 2000 Olympic Games and 2022 FIFA Women's World Cup final.
during the All Blacks v Australia, Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship test match, Accor Stadium, Sydney, Australia, Saturday, 21 September 2024. (Photo by Steven Markham / action press) Photo: Steven Markham
There had been strong rumours that the final would be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which is the largest stadium in the southern hemisphere with a capacity of over 100,000. The Age article indicated that the Victorian government initially made a major push to host the semi-finals and final at the iconic venue, which will be the scene of the first test between the Wallabies and British & Irish Lions tour in July.
Sources of The Age indicated that Victoria eventually withdrew from the bidding process late last year after the New South Wales government came back with a higher offer for Accor Stadium. The decision was in line with Victoria relinquishing the rights to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, due to the forecasted cost.
The MCG is instead likely to host two quarter-final matches, which will help offset the lower capacity of Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, the projected venue of the other two quarters.
RA is forecasting the 2027 World Cup will inject $2.5 billion into the Australian economy.
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