Preparations for the 2023 Rugby World Cup are very complex in 10 cities in France.
The 2023 RWC draw has been announced, the match schedule has been announced and each of the teams ranked, as well as their own association, already know precisely where the group stage will be, and potentially beyond.
With that in mind, we thought we’d give you the opportunity to explore the nine stadiums that are preparing to open their doors for rugby bicentennial celebrations.
The home of the city’s Ligue 1 football club, stade de Bordeaux, opened in May 2015, less than two weeks before the semi-finals of the Top 14 play-offs of that year.
Rugby returned to the scene in June 2019, when 42071 enthusiasts climbed to the stands to watch Stade Toulousain face Stade Rochelais in the Top 14 semi-finals, an attendance that remains the stadium record.
The Stade de Bordeaux hosted five UEFA Euro 2016 matches and also hosted the French national football team and the last of the League Cup.
Fiji, Ireland, South Africa and Wales have already been shown to play the 2023 RWC against Bordeaux as the futuristic stadium is preparing to host five matches.
Visiting fans, whether they have purchased a Follow My Team package or a Bordeaux package, can expect a relaxing stay in the wine capital of the world.
Away from the vineyards, Bordeaux is a World Heritage Site and offers amazing food, culture and architecture.
Built to house the CSO of Lille, Stade Pierre Mauroy opened in August 2012 and 3 months later was the scene of their first rugby match when France beat Argentina 39-22.
Meanwhile, Lille hosted the 1991 Rugby World Cup, when the North Stadium was the scene of New Zealand’s quarter-final victory over Canada.
Thanks to the ingenious design of the stadium, which hosted the UEFA Euro 2016 matches, it can be configured seamlessly for other occasions, as one part of the course can be raised to slide over the other.
Stade Pierre Mauroy has hosted 3 Davis Cup finals, the Euro Basket 2015 playoff and several high-level music concerts.
Five 2023 RWC groups are planned at the stadium, and hosts in France, England and Scotland will spend time in the northern city.
Opened in January 2016, Olympique Lyonnais’ home has since hosted a number of foreign events, rugby.
OL Park had been open for four months when the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals were played in the new stadium.
In November 2017, a French XV beat 28-23 through New Zealand against 58607 fans. At the end of this season, Parc OL selected to host the Top 14 semi-finals.
The city, on the other hand, has a rugby pedigree. The Stade de Gerland has hosted 2007 RWC matches, while the city has a two-time French champion club in the form of Lyon OR.
Ol Park hosted matches from UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, while the League Cup final and UEFA Europa League final were also played on its hybrid turf.
Wales and Australia will play in the first rwC 2023 match at the stadium, and since hosts France, Italy and New Zealand will also have to pass through Lyon, lyon ticket enthusiasts will be delighted.
A historic stadium that has been renovated 3 since its opening in 1937, the Stade Velodrome hosted two quarter-finals of the 2007 RWC.
Olympique de Marseille’s ligue 1 headquarters and host of the FIFA World Cup in 1938 and 1998, the stadium held its first match on 18 November 2000, when France beat New Zealand 42-33.
Since then, Les Bleus have played 11 more tests in this iconic venue, winning and losing twice, unlike Argentina in 2004 and the All Blacks in 2009.
On 18 April 2009, RC Toulonnais played his Top 14 home game against Stade Toulousain in 57,039 fans and has returned several times since.
Located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, Marseille is a historic port city that will offer enthusiasts the opportunity to explore away from rugby.
The Stade de los Angeles Beaujoire hosted one of rugby’s most iconic World Cup matches, as Fiji ran in 4 attempts to beat Wales 38-34 and reserve its angels’ plos in the quarter-finals.
It was the last of the three games that the stadium hosted the 2007 RWC, with England beating Samoa and a happier memory for Welsh fans, a 42-17 defeat from Canada.
The stadium first hosted a test on November 15, 1986, when France beat New Zealand 16-3, and Les Bleus played six more games at the venue. The last 34–12 defeat to Fiji on 13 November 2010.
Opened in 1984, the Stade de los angeles Beaujoire is home to FC Nantes’ Ligue 1 team and has also hosted the 1984 UEFA Euro and the 1998 FIFA World Cup, adding Brazil’s 3–2 victory over Denmark in the quarter-finals.
Four fites are scheduled at the Stade de los Angeles Beaujoire and Japan’s setting with Argentina on the biggest day of angels at pool level will be the center of attention for city fans.
The Stade de Nice, home of Ligue 1 club OGC Nice, hosts the 2023 RWC, which also hosted matches from UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The stadium housed its only check to date on 17 August 2019, when Maxime Médard scored two attempts by France to beat Scotland 32-3. RC Toulonnais also played some Top 14 home games at the stadium.
Nice Stadium is expected to host 4 RWC 2023 matches, with Wales, England, Japan, Italy and Scotland among the groups playing on its well-maintained turf.
England’s meeting with Japan on September 17, 2023 will be a must-see as Eddie Jones collides with the team he trained in the 2015 RWC.
Located on the Cote d’Azur, west of Monaco, enthusiasts can get up between games, from relaxing on its beaches to soaking up Nice’s arts and dining scene.
Built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the French national stadium has from the headquarters of the country’s rugby team.
Les Bleus first played in Saint-Denis on 7 February 1998, when Philippe Bernat-Salles and the vanquished Christophe Dominici passed through the lime in a 24-17 loss to England.
By the end of the 2021 Six Nations, the Stade de France will have hosted 97 men’s test matches, a 1999 RWC quarter-final and the 2007 French final.
South Africa beat England on both physicies, and the Springboks will return to the iconic stadium on 23 September 2023 to face Ireland, the first time the adjustment will be played at the Rugby World Cup.
In total, the Stade de France will host 10 2023 RWC phytos, adding the attractive opening fit between Les Bleus and the All Blacks, the two semi-finals, the ultimate and the ultimate bronze.
Fans who have tickets to one of those matches, of course, will find a lot to do out of the action, with the possibility to visit world-renowned museums, heritage sites and much more in Paris.
The oldest stadium to be decided to host the 2023 RWC, geoffroy Guichard Stadium opened on September 13, 1931 and has since underced 3 renovations, each before use in a primary football tournament.
French rugby first used the stadium on 24 November 2001, when Les Bleus raced in 12 attempts to beat Fiji 77-10.
Six years later, geoffroy Guichard Stadium, named after the entrepreneur who bought the field on which it was built, hosted 3 2007 RWC group matches.
Scotland gave the impression in two of the first matches, beating Portugal 56-10 and Italy 18-16, despite granting the only check out of the match.
Meanwhile, Samoa and the United States played a 46-point mystery and the former can return to the scene in 2023 if they qualify for the tournament as Oceania 1.
Four 2023 RWC matches are scheduled at Geoffroy Guichard Stadium, with Australia, Argentina, Fiji and Italy in the “City of Design”.
Built to host the 1938 FIFA World Cup, Toulouse Stadium has been renovated and organized matches since then when the world centrepiece of football returned to France 60 years later, and back to UEFA Euro 2016.
The historic stadium has long been linked to rugby, having served as the home of the Toulouse Stadium in the Top 14 matches and the European Champions Cup.
France first played at the Toulouse Stadium on 15 December 1963, when Les Bleus tied 6-6 with Romania.
Eleven years later, the stadium hosted a 13-4 win for South Africa over France, but Les Bleus also had a satisfied time in Toulouse.
France beat the All Blacks twice at Toulouse Stadium, 18-13 in November 1977 and 22-15 in November 1995, when attempts by Jean-Luc Sadourny, Richard Dourthe and Philippe Saint-André helped defeat a New Zealand team. Lomu, in the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
The Blues also took revenge on the Springboks in November 2009, when Vincent Clerc’s departure in the first half helped the hosts to a 20-13 victory.
At this stage, Toulouse Stadium hosted 4 2007 RWC matches, with hosts Fiji, Japan, Namibia, Portugal, Romania and New Zealand.
Fiji, Japan and the All Blacks already guaranteed that they will return to Toulouse at RWC 2023, while Namibia could register if it qualifies for Africa 1.
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