2023 Rugby World Cup: the hand egg touches down on the Côte d’Azur!

The 2023 World Cup is fast approaching! No less than 48 matches, of which six at the Marseilles Velodrome and four at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, 51 days of competition, some 600,000 foreign visitors expected and 2.6 million tickets available! A wonderful media, tourism and economic return for the Côte d’Azur. Not forgetting, we hope, a title for the French team!

A victory for Fabien Galthié’s Blues

“France is a rugby-loving country,” declared the President of the Republic during the draw. “We will offer the world this French-style art of living. We have been in the final every twelve years, and fittingly, it will be twelve years in 2023. This time, we must win: get on it!” Because the French side has never won the World Cup. The Blues have lost twice in the quarter-finals, in 2015 (62-13 against the All Blacks) and 2019 (20-19 against the Welsh), not to mention losing in the final in 2011 (8-7 against the All Blacks). New Zealand, who they have not beaten since 2009, will be who they tackle in the opening round. However, Fabien Galthié’s young team led by Charles Ollivon, the Basque from Rugby Club Toulonnais, has every chance. In the space of a year and a half, these Blues have risen from 7th to 3rd in the World Rugby rankings!

The host city of Nice offers a welcome at the Allianz Riviera

The English have been coming to the Bay of Angels since the 18th century, making it their favourite European holiday destination. And while they already reign along the Prom, they are counting on also making the Allianz Riviera tremble by doing battle there against Japan on 17 September. The stadium in Nice will host four matches in the Group stage. In addition to the last edition’s runners-up, Italy, Scotland and Wales will also come to fight over the ball in the capital of the Côte d’Azur. As for Marseilles, the Velodrome will host the French side on 21 September, against an African team to be determined. Two clashes will be held here – England versus Argentina and South Africa versus Scotland. Not to mention two quarter-finals on 14 and 15 October 2023!

Nice, Rugby World Cup host city

Economic return: 215 million for the region

The direct return is estimated at 1.2 billion euro at a national level, of which 215 million for the region.

In addition to the immediate return in the ten host cities – including Nice and Marseilles, the South will not fail to attract all the foreign supporters looking for a tourist break.

And this regardless of whether their team is playing in Nice!

A financial windfall and a passion that should, in particular, see an increase in the number of club members. During the 2007 World Cup, this increase reached 46%!

There are currently nearly 20,000 rugby club members in the region.

A new ticket sale in the Autumn

Two “waves” of ticket sales have already taken place in March and April. A new record was beaten on this occasion: some 350,000 tickets put on sale were purchased in less than 5 hours, with a peak of 4,000 tickets sold per minute!

Packs were also set up per team or per host city. According to Claude Atcher, one million tickets have therefore already been sold in just under three months: 88% of the seats for the matches at Nice Allianz Riviera have been sold, and 86% of the seats marketed for the Orange Velodrome in Marseilles have been taken. The next “wave” of ticket sales should take place in the Autumn. During this wave, supporters can notably purchase tickets for the final stages. An official secure sales platform will be opened in the first quarter of 2022.

Book your tickets for the World Cup!

2023 RUGBY WORLD CUP: NICE, HOST CITY