Gloves are off as stadiums bid to host showpiece final
THE confirmation that Australia will host the 2027 men’s and 2030 women’s Rugby World Cup was the easy bit.
The tricky part organisers now face is deciding where the matches will be played because the knives are already out.
There’s never any love lost between Australia’s state politicians when big events are up for grabs and few come bigger than the men’s Rugby World Cup final – because it’s a guaranteed sellout that will be watched by millions of people around the world while generating millions of dollars to the chosen destination.
Organisers haven’t made any announcement yet on where the blockbuster decider will be played but they will have to get their skates because a decision is expected at the end of the year.
Every state capital that’s involved in the tournament would desperately love to get the final so the main candidates are already making their pitches with the bidding war about to intensify in the coming months.
As the current rules stand, only grounds that can seat a minimum of 60,0000 spectators can host the final - which leaves only three candidates: Sydney’s Accor Stadium, Perth’s Optus Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and they all have their pros and cons.
“Nothing has been decided yet and there’s a few options,” Australia’s bid leader Phil Kearns said.
“We can’t go to Brisbane and I‘m not saying this is going to happen, but you could have a semi-final in Perth, a semi-final in Melbourne and the final in Sydney.
It could be something like that but I‘m not saying it will be.
“Essentially what‘ll happen is a local organising committee will be set up and it’ll go to the board of that organising committee who decides where the finals and semi-finals are going to be.”
Sydney’s Olympic Stadium at Homebush is the early favourite to get the final because New South Wales is the traditional heartland of Australian rugby - plus it’s a massive, sprawling stadium with a proven record of hosting major international sporting events.