Rugby World Cup Final Tickets

The Rugby Union World Cup is a hugely popular event, and the interest in tickets is incredibly high, not least because it's an event that only comes around every four years. The 2023 edition alone drew more than 2.4 million spectators across its nine host stadiums, and the final between South Africa and New Zealand was watched for 94 million viewing hours worldwide — the most-watched single match in the tournament's history.

Rugby World Cup History

Players from the competing nations are playing for the prestigious William Webb Ellis trophy. The 2023 tournament in France marked the tenth edition, and the competition now heads to Australia in 2027 for an eleventh edition featuring an expanded 24-team format for the first time.

The first Rugby Union World Cup took place in 1987, with Australia and New Zealand acting as co-hosts, and it proved a roaring success, and the competition has not looked back ever since.

New Zealand ran out winners in the inaugural competition, beating France 29-9 at Eden Park in Auckland.

In 1991 the competition took place across five nations. Once again, the winner originated from the southern hemisphere; this time, Australia came out on top, beating England in the final at Twickenham.

Over the ten Rugby World Cup tournaments played to date, a nation from the northern hemisphere has only won once, that came when England beat Australia in perhaps the most famous clash in the competition's history in 2003.

Rugby World Cup Winners

Four nations have lifted the Webb Ellis Cup since the tournament began, with South Africa now the outright record-holder on four titles. Here's how every final has gone.

Rugby World Cup Finals - Memorable Matches

The Rugby Union World Cup final hardly ever disappoints when it comes to end-to-end action and thrilling conclusions. Here is a closer look at three of the most memorable finales that saw worthy world champions crowned.

2003 - Australia 17-20 England

England were very much the underdogs as they took on an all-mighty Aussie side in their own backyard, and what played out has since become an iconic event in rugby history.

Though the match was not exactly high in quality, it was one of the most exciting and engrossing games ever played.

There were over 82,000 spectators crammed into Stadium Australia, and a close-fought encounter went into extra time with the match seemingly heading for sudden-death territory; fly-half Jonny Wilkinson settled it with a drop goal off his right foot from around 30 metres out, with just 28 seconds left on the clock, to send the travelling England fans into delirium.

2011 - France 7-8 New Zealand

This game was the epitome of a war of attrition. A game low on quality rugby and high on guts, determination and fight.

What is perhaps even more infamous about this hard-fought clash was the fact that France decided to face down the All Blacks during the Haka.

Tony Woodcock scored an early try for the Kiwis, and Thierry Dusautoir responded with one for France early in the second half.

Ultimately, the difference came in the form of a Stephen Donald penalty.

1995 - South Africa 15-12 New Zealand

In the end, this Rugby World Cup final proved to be about far more than a sporting spectacle. Set against the backdrop of a country in a post-apartheid period and with Nelson Mandela on hand to present Springboks captain Francois Pienaar the trophy, this extra-time win for the hosting nation was a historic occasion for all the right reasons.

Rugby World Cup - How Does It Work?

The Rugby World Cup format has evolved over the years, and it's changing again for 2027.

From 1999 through to 2023, twenty national teams were split into four pools of five. The teams who finished in the top two berths of their pool qualified for the quarter-finals, and the eight teams then battled it out for a place in the semi-finals, with the final being between the remaining two teams while a bronze final took place between the losing semi-finalists.

From 2027, the tournament expands to 24 teams across six pools of four. The top two from each pool advance automatically, joined by the four best third-placed sides, taking the knockout stage to sixteen teams for the first time via a new round of 16, before the format returns to the familiar quarter-final, semi-final and final structure.

Why Buy Rugby World Cup Final Tickets via SeatPick?

The final is the single hardest ticket in world rugby to come by, and booking through SeatPick gives fans a genuine route to being there:

• Every seller checked before listing: With official final tickets allocated mostly through participating unions and hospitality packages, SeatPick's vetted resale listings are often the most realistic way in for fans without a direct allocation.
• Prices compared, not just quoted: Final tickets move in value sharply once the semi-finalists are known, so seeing live listings side by side matters more here than for any other fixture in the tournament.
• Clarity on what you're actually buying: Category, stand and view are set out plainly, rather than a buyer discovering the details only once the ticket arrives.
• Buyer protection on the tournament's biggest match: Every order carries a guarantee, worth having on a ticket this valuable and this final.