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Accor Stadium at Homebush, with a capacity of 82,000, will again host the decider as well as the semi-finals, the third-place playoff and two quarter-finals at the 11th edition of the global showpiece, which will take place in Australia for the first time since 2003.
New South Wales is the biggest winner after a total of seven host cities were revealed by World Rugby and Rugby Australia on Thursday, with other matches in the state to be played at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium and McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.
Brisbane, the country’s other hotbed of rugby union, will host 10 matches but missed out on the blue riband games due to Suncorp Stadium’s relatively limited capacity of 52,000. The old Lang Park venue will instead host two quarter-finals as part of its 10 total matches.
Newcastle and Townsville have been awarded four pool matches each and Adelaide five, but any hopes of a final played in front of 100,000 fans at the MCG were dashed, despite an initial push by the Victorian government for the centrepiece game to be played at Melbourne’s famous old ground.
The Victorian capital has instead been handed seven pool matches and two last-16 clashes as part of a last-minute deal with World Rugby that sees the city host a total of nine matches.
The opening match of the tournament, featuring the Wallabies, will be played at Perth’s Optus Stadium. The full draw for the expanded 24-team tournament will be held at the end of this year.
“The selection of these incredible host cities reflects our commitment to bring Rugby World Cup to as many Australians as possible and maximise the tournament’s positive impact and sporting legacy in all host communities,” World Rugby chair Brett Robinson …
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