12 Japanese venues to host 2019 Rugby World Cup fixtures

Organisers of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan have selected 12 host cities for the national team tournament, with Yokohama securing its place as the second largest venue despite missing the initial bid deadline.

The list of applicant venues seeking to be part of Japan’s staging of the 2019 World Cup increased to 15 in December, with Yokohama’s 72,000-seat International Stadium added to the list. Japan Rugby 2019, the tournament’s organising body, had initially closed the submission process for bidding cities in November, with 14 prospective venues having come forward.

However, despite its late entry Yokohama has been granted host city status, with bids from Sendai City, Kobe City and Nagasaki failing to make the cut. Tokyo’s New National Stadium (pictured below) is set to act as the centrepiece of the World Cup. A venue for the 1964 Olympic Games, the venue is being completely redeveloped to a capacity of 80,000 for the World Cup and Tokyo’s staging of the 2020 Olympic Games. It is set to host the opening and final games of the World Cup.

Along with Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan’s Rugby World Cup will also be staged at the Sapporo Dome, Sapporo City; Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium, Iwate Prefecture/Kamaishi City; Kumagaya Rugby Ground, Saitama Prefecture/Kumagaya City; Ogasayama Sports Park Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka Prefecture and Toyota Stadium, Aichi Prefecture/Toyota City.

Hosting rights have also been assigned to Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka Prefecture/Higashi Osaka City; Kobe City Misaki Park Stadium, Kobe City; Hakatanomori Football Stadium, Fukuoka City; Kumamoto Prefectural Athletic Stadium, Kumamoto Prefecture/Kumamoto City and Oita Stadium, Oita Prefecture.

The sport’s global governing body, World Rugby, said a range of criteria were considered when making the final selection, including stadium quality, nearby training and other facilities, transport and the availability of local accommodation for teams, fans and media. It was also deemed important to choose a diverse range of venues in terms of stadium capacity, geographical spread, rugby development and to ensure a fan experience befitting a tournament of the Rugby World Cup’s stature.

Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset stated “this is an important milestone for the tournament.

“Now we know exactly where the matches will be staged in Japan and, more importantly, the people of those cities and fans around the world can start planning for the big event.

“In 2019, hundreds of thousands of rugby fans will descend on Japan and millions more will watch on television as the world’s best players compete for the right to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.

“It will be a wonderful tournament and, as it’s the first time Rugby World Cup will take place in Asia, it will be an important milestone for us as we continue to make good on our commitment to grow the global game.”

Japan Rugby 2019 Chief Executive Akira Shimazu added “each of the candidate cities had excellent credentials to host.

“Of course, we would like to have had all of the candidates as hosts but we made our selections with the RWCL Board and their deep knowledge of tournament operation needs. Rather than any particular individual candidate rating, we decided on the final selection based the overall needs of the tournament.”

With a capacity of around 16,200, Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium will be the World Cup’s smallest venue. Kamaishi was devastated by the earthquake of March 2011 and World Rugby said host city status has been bestowed as a means to “thank all those who helped in the recovery effort, in Japan and around the world.”

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