Additional Eden Park seats go on sale for World Cup final
New tickets for the sold-out Rugby World Cup final between the Black Ferns and England have gone on sale after “extraordinary demand”.
World Cup organisers announced that a strictly limited number of tickets for Saturday’s final went on sale at 6pm last night.
Seats were almost entirely allocated in the hours immediately after the Black Ferns’ last gasp semifinal victory over France, with almost 8000 tickets snapped up that night alone.
Organisers immediately began exploring additional seating capacity at the stadium, with the aim to release more seats to fans previously reserved for operational needs.
Added security and functional measures have been put in place to cater for the extra capacity.
Rugby World Cup 2021 tournament director Michelle Hooper said: “We have been absolutely blown away by the support Kiwis and fans around the world have shown for this tournament and for the amazing wāhine toa who have played with their hearts and souls over the past five weeks.
“The stage is set for a dream final to what has been an extraordinary and unforgettable Rugby World Cup, with the Black Ferns taking on No 1 ranked England at home in front of what will be a crowd on a scale we have never seen before for the women’s game.
“It was important to us that we exhausted every avenue to allow fans the chance to witness the finals live in stadium. We have worked hard to convert previously operational spaces into additional seating and put in place safety measures to cater to the extra fans.
“Those who miss out, or can’t be with us at Eden Park, our challenge to you is to host a watch party at home or in your local neighbourhood and help us to break more records and reach the largest ever domestic viewership for a women’s sports match.”
Fans who secure their spot at the finals are encouraged to arrive early, with 5000 poi on offer free to the first fans through the gates from 3.30pm ahead of the bronze final between France and Canada at 4.30pm.
The world record for attendance at a women’s rugby match day is set to tumble once again, after the opening match day attracted a record crowd of 34,235.
The final will be available live on Spark Sport and free-to-air on Three starting from 7pm on Saturday.
The Rugby World Cup has so far attracted 107,600 fans, the most of any women’s World Cup.