A Wrap Of The RWC 2023 Pool Stages – How Succesful Has France Been?

With the conclusion of the pool stages last weekend in France, not only were the 8 quarterfinalists confirmed, as well as the teams who have qualified for RWC 2027 in Australia, but the organisers of the RWC 2023 have a chance to assess the success of the tournament so far with 40 of 48 matches completed.

At this week’s media conference, the organisers confirmed that Rugby Village attendance in 2023 has already surpassed the record set in Japan in 2019. The RWC 2023 is also set to break other records and be a commercial success which is vital for the game and its development.

• 1.16 million people have visited the 10 official Rugby Villages (the record was 1.13 million set at Rugby World Cup 2019 but France still has more than two weeks to go). Expectations are the total will reach 1.5 million.
• Match attendance has reached 1.8 million after 40 matches, already surpassing the 1.7 million total for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. (We recall that the USA RWC 2031 bid included a plan to not use a stadium with fewer than 60,000 seats!)
• The average stadium attendance in the RWC 2023 pools was 47,000 across the nine stadiums used.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “The Rugby World Cup 2023 Rugby Villages have become one of the major attractions of a special tournament. They are much more than a destination to watch matches, they are bringing together domestic and international fans in celebration of rugby, France and friendship.”

Although slightly misleading, the Netherlands and Germany are among the top 10 nations in the ticket purchasing rankings, it was mentioned this is where the tickers were purchased and not necessarily the nationality of the ticket holder.

TOULOUSE, FRANCE – OCTOBER 08: Francisco Fernandes of Portugal celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s second try during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Fiji and Portugal at Stadium de Toulouse on October 08, 2023 in Toulouse, France. (Photo by Julian Finney – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

RWC 2023 Fan Engagement Numbers

Broadcast ratings in France indicate the total cumulative audience is already more than 164.5 million, while the official fantasy game is being played by more than 500,000 people.

• On social media, the official RWC accounts have attracted 1.8 million new followers.
• More than 600,000 are from Spanish-speaking nations.
• 400,000 are from the USA.
• 35 million unique visitors.
• Over 1.1 billion video views.

A Wrap Of The Pool Stages – RWC 2023

RWC 2023 and World Rugby have been great at providing the media and fans with a mountain of data during the tournament. With the pool stages complete, you can view a range of stats here.

The Japan Brave Blossoms ended the pool phase with the highest tackle count at 670 – Michael Leitch with a total of 62 (4th overall) and Jack Cornelsen with 56 (5th overall).

Chile made their debut and Portugal claimed their first-ever victory (with the final pool match win over Fiji. The Fijians themselves qualified for their first quarter-final in 16 years, and Australia failed to make it for the first time.

RWC 2023 News And Events

• World Rugby Awards 2023 To Take Place In Paris.
• International Wheelchair Rugby Cup – Paris 2023.
• Round 4 Rugby World Cup Tournament 2023 – Key Takeaways & Lessons.
• Rugby World Cup 2023 – The Ultimate Fans Guide.