Featured image credit: Paul Currie/SWpix.com/RLWC2021
Organisers of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 are confident that this year’s tournament will be the best-attended in history.
According to an article from the Guardian, almost 100,000 supporters attended the first seven games of the World Cup. More than 43,000 watched England’s men defeat Samoa at St James’ Park in Newcastle during the opening game.
However, some games failed to attract the numbers organisers were hoping for, most notably New Zealand’s defeat of Lebanon which only attracted 5,4000.
There were 458,483 tickets fold for the 2013 tournament, which is currently the record. According to the Guardian, the event’s chief executive Jon Dutton said: “We’re close to already exceeding that. There are certain milestones along the way, the 458,000, which would exceed 2013, the women’s [football] European Championships, which was around 571,000, is the next milestone, which we’re confident about.”
England men’s success so far has effected ticket sales as there is a heightened possibility of England reaching at least the semi-finals, which will be played at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and at Leeds’ Elland Road.
Organisers also said that Saturday was the best day ticket sales since the process began two years ago, and that most tickets were purchased in London postcodes.
Some 35,000 tickets have been sold for England v France at the University of Bolton stadium tomorrow (Saturday).
The tournament’s revenue director Mick Hogan said: “If England qualify for the quarter-finals and come through that, we’ll see a huge surge in ticket sales again.”
Ahead of the tournament, organisers had revealed that more than 350,000 tickets had been sold. The Rugby League World Cup 2021 incorporates the men’s, women’s and wheelchair rugby league tournaments.
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