The 2023 Rugby World Cup happens in France from September 8 to October 28. This big event will have the finest male rugby players from around the world. This page provides everything you need to understand about the venues for the Rugby World Cup where matches will be played in this famous tournament.
Where is the Rugby World Cup 2023 taking place?
Here are the stadiums in France that will hold Rugby World Cup 2023 matches, along with some information about each of them…
Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
Seats: 42,115
Construction Completed: April 2015
Uses: Rugby Games, Soccer Matches, Music Concerts
Upcoming Matches: Ireland vs Romania (Pool B, September 9)
Wales vs Fiji (Pool C, September 10)
Samoa vs Chile (Pool D, September 16)
South Africa vs Romania (Pool B, September 17)
Fiji vs Georgia (Pool C, September 30)
Interesting Tidbit: Since it opened in the spring of 2015, the Stade de Bordeaux has been the venue for several major music performances, including shows by Celine Dion, Guns ‘n’ Roses, and Ed Sheeran.
Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
Seats: 50,186
Construction Completed: August 2012
Uses: Rugby Matches, Soccer Games, Basketball Matches, Handball Matches, Tennis, Concerts
Upcoming Matches: France vs Uruguay (Pool A, September 14)
England vs Chile (Pool D, September 23)
Scotland vs Romania (Pool B, September 30)
England vs Samoa (Pool D, October 7)
Tonga vs Romania (Pool B, October 8)
Interesting Tidbit: The stadium in the southern part of Lille will host two of England’s pool games at RWC2023. It will also be the location for the handball and basketball competitions in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Parc Olympique Lyonnais
Seats: 59,186
Construction Completed: January 2016
Uses: Rugby Games, Soccer Matches, Ice Hockey Games, Concerts
Upcoming Matches: Wales vs Australia (Pool B, September 24)
Uruguay vs Namibia (Pool A, September 27)
New Zealand vs Italy (Pool A, September 29)
New Zealand vs Uruguay (Pool A, October 5)
France vs Italy (Pool A, October 6)
Interesting Fact: The Parc Olimpique Lyonnais set a record for ice hockey matches in France with a Ligue Magnus game between Lyon and Grenoble on December 30, 2016, drawing 25,142 people to the stadium that day.
Stade Velodrome, Marseille
Seats: 67,394
Construction Completed: June 1937, most recent updates in summer 2014.
Uses: Rugby Matches, Soccer Games, (in the past) Rugby League and Cycling Events
Upcoming Matches: England vs Argentina (Pool D, September 9)
South Africa vs Scotland (Pool B, September 10)
France vs Namibia (Pool A, September 21)
South Africa vs Tonga (Pool B, October 1)
Quarter Final 1 (Winner Pool C vs Runner-up Pool D, October 14)
Quarter Final 3 (Winner Pool D vs Runner-up Pool C, October 15)
Interesting Tidbit: The Velodrome, where the 2022 Champions Cup Final between Leinster and La Rochelle happened, had its first Six Nations game in 2018, with France playing Italy in front of 50,000 fans.
Stade de la Beaujoire
Seats: 37,473
Construction Completed: May 1984
Uses: Rugby Matches, Soccer Games
Upcoming Matches: Ireland vs Tonga (Pool C, September 16)
Argentina vs Chile (Pool D, September 30)
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Wales vs Georgia (Pool C, October 7)
Japan vs Argentina (Pool D, October 8)
Interesting Tidbit: This World Cup stadium was where Fiji famously defeated Wales 38-34 during the 2007 Rugby World Cup, securing a quarter-final spot over the Welsh team.
Stade de Nice, Nice
Seats: 35,169
Construction Completed: September 2013
Uses: Rugby Matches, Soccer Games, Concerts
Upcoming Matches: Wales vs Portugal (Pool C, September 16)
England vs Japan (Pool D, September 17)
Italy vs Uruguay (Pool A, September 20)
Scotland vs Tonga (Pool B, September 24)
Interesting Tidbit: Among all the World Cup stadiums, this one has held only a single international rugby Test match so far – a 32-3 victory for France over Scotland in August 2019, where Maxime Medard scored two tries.
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Seats: 81,500
Construction Completed: September 2013
Uses: Rugby Matches, Soccer Games, Concerts
Upcoming Matches: Wales vs Portugal (Pool C, September 16)
England vs Japan (Pool D, September 17)
Italy vs Uruguay (Pool A, September 20)
Scotland vs Tonga (Pool B, September 24)
Quarter Final 2 (Winner Pool B vs Runner-up Pool A, October 14)
Quarter Final 4 (Winner Pool A vs Runner-up Pool B, October 15)
Semi Final 1 (Winner Quarter Final 1 vs Winner Quarter Final 2, October 20)
Semi Final 2 (Winner Quarter Final 3 vs Winner Quarter Final 4, October 21)
Bronze Final (Runner-up Semi Final 1 vs Runner-up Semi Final 2, October 27)
Final (Winner Semi Final 1 vs Winner Semi Final 2, October 28)
Interesting Tidbit: The Stade de France, the sixth-largest stadium in Europe, is one of only two stadiums worldwide to host both football (1998) and rugby union (1999, 2007) World Cup Finals. The other is the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan.
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
Seats: 41,965
Construction Completed: September 1931, most recent updates finished January 2015.
Uses: Rugby Matches, Soccer Games
Upcoming Matches: Italy vs Namibia (Pool A, September 9)
Australia vs Fiji (Pool C, September 17)
Argentina vs Samoa (Pool D, September 22)
Australia vs Portugal (Pool C, October 1)
Interesting Tidbit: The Rugby World Cup 2023 chose the oldest stadium among its venues. This stadium also hosted three pool games during the Rugby World Cup 2007, two of which involved Scotland.
Stadium de Toulouse
Seats: 33,150
Construction Completed: 1937, most recent updates finished in Spring 2016.
Uses: Rugby Matches, Rugby League, Soccer Games, Concerts
Upcoming Matches: Japan vs Chile (Pool D, September 10)
New Zealand vs Namibia (Pool A, September 15)
Georgia vs Portugal (Pool C, September 23)
Japan vs Samoa (Pool B, September 28)
Fiji vs Portugal (Pool C, October 8)
Interesting Tidbit: The last venue on this list – and another one that held multiple games during the 2007 Rugby World Cup – this stadium is situated on the island of Ramier in the River Garonne, right in the center of Toulouse.
Wow, these stadiums are incredible! Can’t wait to see the action in France. Stade Velodrome’s history is fascinating – from cycling events to rugby. ???