We are fast approaching the final round of pool stage matches, as the 2023 Rugby World Cup continues to roll on this weekend. Record-breaking figures have already been set at the competition, by both the supporting fans in France and those watching on from around the world.
The figures were announced today by Rugby World Cup Chairman Jacques Rivoal and Tournament Director Michel Poussau. Speaking at this week’s Rugby World Cup 2023 Tournament Conference, Poussau highlighted how a recent pool game’s global viewership, was more than the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final (football).
“Last weekend was the game in Lyon, New Zealand against Italy, with 5.3 million viewers. And just to put that number in perspective, that’s 30% More than the Champions League final, we know the Champions League has started this week. So that’s 30% more than the Champions League final in 2023, broadcasted on both TF1 and Canal+.
“So we get used to these numbers. But it’s good sometimes to take a bit of perspective and remind ourselves for how amazing they are. Then it’s 1.6 million new followers that we have now captured, 33% of them being on our Spanish language channels, which is amazing for the growth of the game in these territories.”
Rivoal then discussed the impressive figures, and turned the attention to a significant fixture between two second tier nations.
“So we can say that this Rugby World Cup is carrying on in marvellous conditions with exceptional figures. So I’m like Michel, I don’t have a PhD in mathematics, so I’m not going to knock you out with figures. But I might quote one figure to you which has grabbed my attention. And that is the 49,342 spectators who watched a match between Uruguay and Namibia last Wednesday, so not on the weekend, in Lyon.
“I think we really need to underscore this figure because we’ve never had such a numerous audience to follow emerging nations in World Rugby, in Rugby World Cup. For comparison, there’s 49,342 is four times larger than the Georgia and Namibia match in the World Cup in England in 2015.
“It’s the same number as the number of spectators we saw for the quarter-finals in Japan in 2019. So it’s truly a historic record for rugby, which we can really be proud of. The figures we’ve reached in this World Cup in 2023 are truly exceptional, and match our ambitions. 130 million TV spectators cumulatively, since the beginning of the competition, that’s already more than everything we’ve seen in the World Cup four years ago in Japan and we We’ve only played 32 games, so it’s not over yet.
“Today, there are more than one and a half million people who’ve come to the stadia, as Michel said, and these should be added close to a million fans who came to our rugby villages. So while the pool stage is coming to an end this weekend. We’ve already had 32 games, there are eight more to come this weekend.
Poussau continued to discuss the final round of pool stage action, with spots in the knock-out stages up for grabs.
“Now of course we all looking forward for the last leg of the pool phase. We know that we have eight games ahead of us played in five venues including three double-headers, so we can definitely expect a lot of action, a lot of rugby and a lot of passion in the course of this week. This final round will feature three blockbusters starting in Lyon with France against Italy. And then at the Stade de France with Ireland against Scotland, and on Sunday in Nantes, in the very decisive Japan against Argentina.
here is only two teams already qualified, and with 12 teams competing to reach the knockout phase, we know for a fact that all games will have an impact. And we can, we can expect a lot of excitement around this, this week of rugby.