Rugby World Cup 2023: when do tickets go on sale? Fixtures, dates, tournament venues as Six Nations kicks off

The 2023 Six Nations Championship kicks off this weekend and that means that we are also getting closer and closer to the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

A lot of the discussion surrounding this year’s Six Nations will include the upcoming event including what implications the tournament will have for the home nations. As England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland get set to face off alongside France and Italy there will be one eye on the big one being played in France after the summer. For rugby fans, here is everything you need to know about when and where the 2023 RWC will be played, the fixtures and how to get your hands on tickets:

When is the 2023 Rugby World Cup?

The 2023 Rugby World Cup kicks off on Friday, September 8 and will conclude with the final seven weeks later on Saturday, October 28. There are 20 teams taking part including all of the Six Nations contenders. South Africa are the defending champions having beaten England in the 2019 final.

Where is the 2023 Rugby World Cup being held?

France, who are also the early favourites to win the competition, are the host nation for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The tournament will be held across nine cities at these stadiums:

• Stade de France (Paris)
• Stade Vélodromea (Marseille)
• Stade Lyon-Décines (Lyon)
• Stade Pierre-Mauroy (Lille)
• Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux (Bordeaux)
• Stade Geoffroy-Guicharda (Saint-Etienne)
• Stade de Nice (Nice)
• Stade de la Beaujoirea (Nantes)
• Stadium Municipal (Toulouse)

Rugby World Cup 2023 fixtures and format

The tournament begins with a pool stage where the 20 nations are divided into four pools of five. From the five pools the top two teams qualify for the knockout stages where the winners of Pool A face the runners-up of Pool B, the winners of Pool B face the runners up of Pool A, the winners of Pool C face the runners up of Pool D and the winners of Pool D face the runners up of Pool C. The winners of those matches advance to the semi-final stage and then the two semi final winners will meet in the final.

Pool A

• France
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Uruguay
• Namibia

Fixtures: France vs New Zealand (September 8), Italy vs Namibia (September 9), France vs Uruguay (September 14), New Zealand vs Namibia (September 15), Italy vs Uruguay (September 20), France vs Namibia (September 21), Uruguay vs Namibia (September 27), New Zealand vs Italy (September 29), New Zealand vs Uruguay (October 5), France vs Italy (October 6).

Pool B

• South Africa
• Ireland
• Scotland
• Tonga
• Romania

Fixtures: Ireland vs Romania (September 9), South Africa vs Scotland (September 10), Ireland vs Tonga (September 16), South Africa vs Romania (September 17), South Africa vs Ireland (September 23), Scotland vs Tonga (September 24), Scotland vs Romania (September 30), South Africa vs Tonga (October 1), Ireland vs Scotland (October 7), Tonga vs Romania (October 8).

Pool C

• Wales
• Australia
• Fiji
• Georgia
• Portugal

Fixtures: Australia vs Georgia (September 9), Wales vs Fiji (September 10), Wales vs Portugal (September 16), Australia vs Fiji (September 17), Georgia vs Portugal (September 23), Wales vs Australia (September 24), Fiji vs Georgia (September 30), Australia vs Portugal (October 1), Wales vs Georgia (October 7), Fiji vs Portugal (October 8).

Pool D

• England
• Japan
• Argentina
• Samoa
• Chile

Fixtures: England vs Argentina (September 9), Japan vs Chile (September 10), Samoa vs Chile (September 16), England vs Japan (September 17), Argentina vs Samoa (September 22), England vs Chile (September 23), Japan vs Samoa (September 28), Argentina vs Chile (September 30), England vs Samoa (October 7), Japan vs Argentina (October 8).

Rugby World Cup 2023 tickets

Tickets for the 2023 Rugby World Cup have been on sale for over a year but select matches and packages still have availability to purchase. To find out more visit the official Rugby World Cup 2023 website.