World Rugby’s Chief Executive Alan Gilpin lauded the “historic, special, incredible” Rugby World Cup 2025 which he says showed “stratospheric” growth in the women’s game.
What was earmarked as a watershed moment for the sport a few months ago has exceeded the expectations of even the game’s governing body, thanks to record-breaking crowds and interest that reached its peak as England beat Canada in Saturday’s final at a packed Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Managing Director Sarah Massey delivered the final verdict on the tournament’s ticket sales during Monday’s Tournament Closing Conference: an astronomical 444,465 tickets sold.
That number is well over three times that which we saw three years ago, while the official attendance of Saturday’s final between England and Canada was a new record for women’s rugby at 81,885. When England last hosted a Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2010, there were 13,253 at the final at the Twickenham Stoop.
“We’ve been involved in the greatest Rugby World Cup of all time, a tournament that delivered on every single level,” Gilpin said. “It didn’t just raise the bar, it’s gone stratospheric.”
Massey also revealed that #RWC2025 was attended by fans from 133 countries, 53 per cent of which were female. Surveys conducted showed that 50 per cent of those attendees had never been to a women’s rugby match before, but an incredible 95 per cent intend to return and watch it again.
“This tournament has shown that women and girls can be anything, do anything and belong anywhere – in rugby, in sport and in society,” Massey said.
The reason for its popularity is as much to do with the way the game has been played at this tournament as it is down to those who have played it. When comparing games to those played at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 (played in 2022), the ball-in-play time has been improved, the number of tries has increased, there are fewer knock-ons, more tactical kicking and a ten per cent improvement in conversion success.
But the players’ impact has gone beyond that on-field skillset. There have been over 219 million views on players’ social media accounts, further amplifying the reach of the tournament – and an extension of the interactions the players have had with fans from the touchline after games.
“Women’s sport is on the up,” said Red Roses star Meg Jones after England’s victory in Saturday’s final. “We’re leading with compassion, leading with vulnerability and leading with love. That’s what humans want and I think we’ll keep doing that.”
England winger Abby Dow added: “The most important thing is realising not that we’ve won a medal today, but that we’ve won for women’s sport and for women’s rugby. It’s here to stay, and it’s such a privilege for me to be part of it. To see 82,000 people cheering us on and being there for us – they’re the best fans.”
The enormous growth in the women’s game is of obvious benefit to rugby itself, but those benefits reach beyond the field of play and showcase the commercial opportunities women’s rugby offers. The Bristol Hoteliers Association recently reported occupancy levels of over 90 per cent during the weekends where the city hosted quarter-finals and the semi-finals, which raised revenue by between 20 and 30 per cent in the city.
“This had a tremendous impact on the city’s hospitality industry and we’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in making this happen,” they said.
Even the UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer weighed in on the impact the Red Roses have had on women’s rugby in the country, as well as highlighting that widespread financial success the tournament has brought.
“Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 has been an extraordinary success with record crowds, huge TV audiences and thrilling rugby,” Starmer said. “The tournament has been proof of the power of major sporting events to help grow the economy, make people happy and showcase the very best of our nation to the world.
“On the field The Red Roses have thrilled us with their remarkable performances which have excited and inspired young girls and boys across the country. They have done the nation proud. The UK is now the global home of women’s sport and we look forward to continuing to bring the best and best event to these shores.’”
World Rugby is going all in to ensure that all of this is not a one-off, with the recent announcement of a WXV Global Series which will transform the international calendar and fuel momentum from this Rugby World Cup onto the next one and beyond.
The WXV Global Series will feature the world’s best 18 teams in a fixture schedule with over 100 matches between 2026 and 2028, providing certainty of competition on the road to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029.
“The women’s game is definitely an engine for growth,” Gilpin added. “It will help us open new markets, attract new investment, and drive our sport forward globally.
“Not all unions or federations are at the same stage yet, we know that, but the tide is rising fast and it’s rising for everybody.”
Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Chair Gill Whitehead described the change she has seen since she was a player, where she and her teammates would play “on unmarked pitches, on unmown grass, and definitely no crowds”.
“We all had a moment on Saturday. Mine was when the 81,885 figure flashed up on screen, reflecting just how far women’s rugby has come in such a short space of time.
“To the millions of young girls who were there on Saturday or watching it on TV around the world, your experience will be different and your opportunity so much greater. Women’s rugby has changed forever.”
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