The Stade de France in Paris will open and close the Rugby World Cup whilst a host of new stadiums will be utilised across the country as New Zealand, Australia and co head to France
Nine different stadiums across France will help host the Rugby World Cup with Paris’ Stade de France opening and closing the tournament.
The venue in Saint-Denis, a suburb in the north of Paris, held the final in 2007 and has also been the venue for World Cup, European Championship and Champions League finals. 16 years ago it was South Africa who saw off England at the 80,000-seater stadium.
The knockout stages, featuring eight games, will only be played across two stadiums. Six of the matches, including both semi-finals, will all be played in Paris. The other two games will be held at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, which has undergone a revamp since 2007.
It was the venue 16 years ago in which England beat Australia for the second successive tournament as Jonny Wilkinson kicked them to victory. The two countries could yet meet once more at the same venue in the last eight.