A year after achieving the Grand Slam, France finished second in the Six Nations Tournament. The Blues now have the World Cup at home in mind.
Fabien Galthié’s players, who won four successes during the Six Nations tournament, one of which resounded at Twickenhamwill be supported by an entire country during the World Cup which begins on September 8 and ends on October 28.
For this tenth edition, France was chosen for the second time after 2007. Nine cities will share the 48 matches of the competition and the 2.5 million tickets have all been sold.
“ The World Cup lasts 51 days, and we want it to be 51 days of popular celebration in all our territories “, told RFI Jacques Rivoal, president of the organizing committee, who believes that France and the host cities will enjoy two billion in expected economic benefits. About 600,000 foreign visitors will attend the Mondial.
A “rugby village” in Paris
If Paris does not have a stadium which will host the matches of the World Cup (the Stade de France is in Saint-Denis), the French capital will host a “rugby village” on the Place de la Concorde which will be able to accommodate around 10 000 people around several spaces.
The village will be open during the competition on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as well as Thursdays when the French team is playing. ” It will be a prestigious place during this major event in world sport. La Concorde is an emblematic place “, assures Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sport. In this space ” free », two giant screens will allow fans who don’t have tickets to watch games with friends. The “rugby village” will include a stage, a rugby field and another rugby-chair. ” It is a particularly iconic place, which will attract many people “, rejoices the director general of France 2023, Julien Collette, who anticipates “ 40% foreign visitors during the event.
” Rugby conveys modern values »
With the World Cup in France, rugby should experience a new surge in terms of notoriety and practitioners. As of December 31, 2021, the number of French people playing rugby, men and women combined, both in competition and leisure, was 244,043. The number of members of the French Rugby Federation has returned to its pre-Covid crisis level. -19. The number of young people enrolled in rugby school jumped by 16.90%, and women’s rugby increased by 22.12%.
” Rugby conveys modern values. This sport leaves its traditional territories and develops throughout the territory, as in Brittany, in the East, in the North, and even in the suburbs of Paris. Our society is faced with different problems, there is a withdrawal, and rugby is about social ties. The founding gesture of rugby is the pass. And the pass is the feminine of the word pas. To take a step is to go towards the other. Rugby is the team sport par excellence. And people feel it. That’s why they like to party “says Jacques Rivoal. And to conclude: Rugby remains one of the only sports where spectators are not separated in the stadium. The social bond of rugby is exceptional. »
20 countries divided into 4 pools
The 2023 World Cup will therefore be made up of 20 countries divided into 4 pools:
- Group A: New Zealand, France, Italy, Uruguay, Namibia.
- Group B: South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Tonga, Romania.
- Group C: Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Portugal.
- Group D: England, Japan, Argentina, Samoa, Chile.
The opening match will take place at the Stade de France with a poster that will oppose France to New Zealand.