THE WOMENS RUGBY WORLD CUP KICKS OFF FRIDAY 22 AUGUST 2025.
For the first time ever, the elite women’s rugby tournament will be hosted across eight cities and venues in England. The expanded 16-team tournament will be the biggest ever Women’s Rugby World Cup and Lancashire is primed to welcome visiting teams and supporters from around the globe who will be playing in Salford during the 5-week tournament.
When do the Red Roses Play?
England will face USA in the opening game at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, on Friday 22 August (1930 KO) which will be shown live on BBC. This offers a great summer evening social opportunity for Lancashire clubs to get behind the Red Roses and provide a big screen venue so thier community can experience the match together with a drink.
England are a strong contender to lift the trophy but will have to overcome USA, Samoa on Saturday 30 August (1700 KO) and Australia on Saturday 6 September (1700 KO) to reach the quarter finals.
The Final will be played at the Allianz Stadium, London on Saturday 27 September 2025 (1600 KO).
UPDATE: FT SCORE ENGLAND 69-7 UNITED STATES. Tournament favourites England run in 11 tries to start 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup in brilliant style at Sunderland's Stadium of Light. POTM Ellie Kildunne. Game watched by 42,723 fans, a record for a Women's World Cup match
Are there any homegrown women involved I should be aware of ?
England Fly-Half, Holly Aitchison, was born in Southport and attended Range High School in Formby where she was coached by Gill Burns MBE. Holly went on to play for Firwood Waterloo RFC, where her father Ian was Director of Rugby and developed her professional career at Gloucester-Hartpury, Lichfield and Bristol Bears, before returning to the North West this summer when she signed for Sale Sharks.
Sarah Massey, Managing Director of the Womens Rugby World Cup 2025 (an LOC joint venture between World Rugby, the RFU and UK Sport with responsibility for delivering the event) is the daughter of Mike Massey, a former Manchester & District Referees' Society referee. Sarah, who began her career in Marketing at the RFU, has held various executive roles in Sport including general manager of the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games and CEO of the World Athletics Championships, and will become Director of Sport for the British Olympic Association in January.
Where can I find more details?
This RFU Community Game Update has info and assets for hosting and promoting your World Cup events RFU CGU
When do the teams arrive?
On Sunday 17 August, the Womens Rugby World Cup officially arrived in Lancashire with a memorable Team welcome ceremony hosted at Manchester Town Hall, with the squads from Australia, Samoa, Scotland and Wales in attendance. The occassion was captured by Lancashire RFU Women Photographer Lizzy Terry.
Where can I experience the World Cup vibes?
Throughout the tournament, there will be international team training sessions and team community engagements hosted at clubs in Greater Manchester which, for security reasons, will not be promoted to the public on social media and will be managed as closed invite events. For more details on these unique opportunties contact John Foster RFU Women & Girls' Rugby Growth Activator JohnFoster@RFU.com or Kate Bennetta, Lancashire RFU Women and Girls Lead womensrugby@lancashirerfu.com.
On Saturday 23rd and 30th August and throughout the tournament, there’ll be no better place for rugby fans to enjoy the buzz and soak up the atmoshere than the Manchester Piccadilly Gardens Fan Zone right in the heart of the city. There will be big match screenings and a range of family-friendly activities for all ages available as part of MCR Live 25, weekends 11am to 4pm. There will be no shortage of food and drink options nearby but you’re also welcome to bring along a picnic to make a day of it Full details are here Manchester Fan Zone
On 12 September, the Women in Rugby Conference will be hosted at the Salford Community Stadium. Places are filling up fast, so if you would enjoy being part of this event, please sign up on this link Women in Rugby Conference Registration
Where can I see a game?
The Salford Community Stadium (1 Stadium Way, Eccles, Salford, M30 7EY) will be hosting two pairs of games.
- Saturday 23 August Australia v Samoa (1200 KO) and Scotland v Wales (1445 KO)
- Saturday 30 August Canada v Wales (1200 KO) and Scotland v Fiji (1445 KO)
Full matchday details on the venue and the opponents can be found on this link: https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2025/en/cities-and-venues/manchester/venue
The stadiums are almost sold out. Limted tickets are still available through the RWC website on this link https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2025/en/matches
In terms of public transport options, you can catch a Metrolink tram from the Piccadilly Gardens Fan Zone out to the Trafford Centre and then stroll the 10-minute walk over to the stadium. There are also matchday shuttle busess operating from the city centre and Ladywell P&R, and public transport passes available in the Bee Network app for use across Manchester.
Check out the “cities” page of the Rugby World Cup website for more information to plan your route.
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Photo by Lizzy Terry
Photo by Lizzy Terry
Photo by Lizzy Terry
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Photo by Lizzy Terry
What next after the World Cup?
RugbyFest will be a nationwide community celebration of the tournament, taking place from Friday 3 to Monday 6 October 2025. Clubs, schools, colleges and universities are invited to run their own local events across the weekend, such as girls taster sessions, family fun days or mini festivals, to welcome new faces and mark the start of the season.
Running a RugbyFest event could help your club:
- Attract new players, supporters and volunteers
- Engage families and promote inclusion
- Inspire the next generation, especially girls and young women
- Be part of a national movement
By registering your club RugbyFest event on the link your club could win a T1 Rugby equipment pack RugbyFest Registration
