World Rugby confirms draw and match schedule release dates for Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025

Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 draw to be broadcast live on BBC’s The One Show and RugbyPass TV on Thursday, 17 October

Huge ticket demand experienced already with over 60,000 tickets sold across opening and final matches in what is set to be a generational moment for rugby

The draw will be held at the BBC’s Broadcasting House and broadcast live on The One Show, one of the UK’s most-watched primetime programmes, airing from 19:00 (GMT +1). This marks a key milestone for the tournament, set to be the largest sporting event in England in 2025. For those outside the UK, the draw will be streamed live at 19:20 (GMT +1) on RugbyPass TV.

Following the draw, the match schedule will be released on Tuesday 22 October. Confirmation represents an exciting moment for fans and teams, who can plan their Women’s Rugby World Cup adventure in earnest.

More than 60,000 tickets have already been sold across the opening match at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and the bronze final and final at Twickenham. Demand during the presale periods has exceeded supply, demonstrating the high level of excitement for the tournament. 10 teams have already qualified, Canada, France, Brazil, Ireland, South Africa, Japan, USA, Fiji, reigning champions New Zealand, and hosts England with the remaining six places to come from WXV 2024.

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The top four teams in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings (as of 14 October) will be placed into band 1 and prepopulated into the first position in each pool. The remaining 12 teams will be drawn into bands 2,3 and 4 based on their rankings and drawn one by one.

Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 Draw

The bands are:

Band 1 – Seeds 1 to 4

Band 2 – Seeds 5 to 8

Band 3 – Seeds 9 to 12

Band 4 – Seeds 13 to 16

BBC Sport’s Gabby Logan and Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi, along with a presenter from The One Show, will host the draw, which will be independently scrutineered by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Following the draw, the match schedule will be revealed on Tuesday 22 October, giving teams, host locations and fans clarity on fixtures. It has already been confirmed that England will play their opening match in Sunderland, with their remaining two pool matches being played in Northampton and Brighton and Hove.

All fans will have the opportunity to apply for tickets for all matches from 11:00 (GMT +1) on Tuesday 5 November until 11:00 (GMT+1) on Tuesday 19 November. Ballots will be used for any price categories which are oversubscribed. Fans can register to be the first to hear about ticket news here.

Prior to the two-week ticket application phase, Worldwide Partner Mastercard is offering its cardholders access to a 48-hour priority sale for all matches from 11:00 (GMT +1) on Tuesday 22 October until 11:00 (GMT+1) on Thursday 24 October. Only Mastercard card payments will be accepted during this priority window.

Sarah Massey, Managing Director of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, expressed her excitement: “This is a significant milestone as fans will be able to plan their Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 experience. With over 60,000 tickets already sold, the demand and enthusiasm across the country is clear. We look forward to announcing the match schedule and expect high demand across the tournament and all around the country”.

Editor of The One Show, Joanne Vaughan Jones, said “we’re excited that the Women’s Rugby World Cup will be coming to England, it’s a big moment for women’s sport across the whole of the UK and we’re delighted to be teaming up with BBC Sport to bring One Show viewers right to the heart of these very special announcements”.