The 2019 Rugby World Cup which will be held in Japan from September 20 to November 2 will be the 9th Rugby World Cup. This is going to be historic since this is the first time that it will be held in Asia, and the first time that it will take place outside the traditional heartland of the sport. Hong Kong and Singapore were amongst the top countries who expressed their desires in hosting the event, thus the initial is plan is to have some games to be played on this areas.
The opening match will take place at Tokyo Stadium in Chofu, and the final match will be held at International Stadium Yokohama in Kanagawa. Originally the initial plan is to have the event held in National Olympic Stadium but changes has been made due to the revisions of the stadium for incoming 2020 Summer Olympics. Tokyo Stadium has a capacity of 49,970 while International Stadium Yokohama has a total capacity of 72,327. In May, it was initially announced that twenty-two municipal or prefectural organizations had expressed in hosting the event. However since then there were a lot of changes that has been made in deciding the venue of the historic event. On this revision Singapore and Hong Kong has been removed. It was then decided that all games will be played in Japan.
Fifteen teams have currently secured a slot in the 2019 tournament. These teams are the top three teams in each of the four pools at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Although Japan finished third in Pool B during the 2015 cup but since they are hosting the tournament, Japan was assured of qualification. The remaining eight spaces are decided by regional slots and cross regional play-offs.
According to their official website, tickets will go on sale through a phased process from January 2018, but since they have already anticipated the high demand the organizing committee is now providing the opportunity for the fans to register online and create their own unique accounts. It was reported that at least 1.8 million tickets will be available for the first ever Asia’s first Rugby World Cup. With 75 percent of Japan’s population accessible to the venues the strategy has been designed as accessible and possible and it will reward the Japan rugby fans acces. It has been announced that from November 2 of this year fans around the world can already plan for their 2019 Rugby World Cup experience.
21 leading agents from 13 nations and territories followed the comprehensive selection process of STH, this is the company appointed by World Rugby to exclusively manage the global supporter tour programme. Details regarding the travel packages, prices and on sale dates will be announced in early 2018. With an expected 400,000 international visitors the demand is expected to be very strong.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup is considered as one of the most historical events in Asia. This is the first of its 9 years. This is the time that we can witness one of the most awaited major sports event. A time that we can witness friendly competition amongst its participants and unity amongst the participating nations. It is not easy to pull an event like this but with everyone’s support this will turn out successful thus we can make Rugby a sport known by everyone all throughout the world.