France will host the Rugby Union World Cup in 2025, seventy-one years after the very first edition, announced Tuesday, January 11, the French Rugby Union Federation.
Initially scheduled in the United States and Canada but postponed for financial reasons, the 17e Rugby Union World Cup will be the third edition organized only in France, the first for fifty-three years. France had already organized the World Cup in 1954, then in 1972, before hosting it in 2000 and 2013 with the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Prime Minister, Jean Castex, rejoiced in a press conference, during the announcement in Paris:
“It’s a great moment. I know the weight of the symbols and I understand how you feel: there are all the practitioners and supporters of this discipline behind you. (…) The government fully supports this competition, because it is part of an assumed policy of promoting and hosting major international events in France. “
Rugby, “It is not only a personal taste but a French passion”, added the Prime Minister, after joking about his “Immoderate love for the oval balloon”.
Four competitions over five weeks
According to the press release from the French Rugby Union Federation, France 2025 will bring together four competitions (women, men, armchairs and young people) over five weeks simultaneously and will take place in forty cities across the country.
“Designed as an ecologically and economically responsible project, France 2025 will be an accelerator for the economy, tourism, employment and vocational training, thanks to the direct and indirect benefits generated by the organization of the competition and to more than 2 000 professional training courses that will be offered by France 2025 over the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 ”, welcomed the Federation, before adding:
“France 2025 will be a popular competition. The average price of a ticket will indeed be less than 30 euros and will thus allow all audiences to participate in this celebration. “
Les Bleus never won the event, reaching the final in 1954 and 1968. In contrast, Australia, two-time defending champion, won the competition eleven times.
The 2021 edition, postponed by one year due to the pandemic, is scheduled in England from October 15 to November 19.