France’s reputation on the line as it looks to impress during Rugby World Cup

As Les Bleus were running up 27 points against the All Blacks in front of 80,000 people at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Friday night, another party was taking place, just south, at Place de la Concorde.

Paris’s “Rugby Village”, a Rugby World Cup fan zone decked out with enormous screens, a mini rugby pitch, a live radio station and a French brasserie, hosted a total of 50,000 people over the course of the opening night, says Isadora Soutan, the venue's director.

“We are very happy with how the first night went, we met our objectives,” she says. “We are happy to have been able to show people a good time.”

The 48 World Cup matches will take place across nine French cities. From Toulouse and Bordeaux to Lyon and Saint-Etienne, each will have its fan zone dedicated to screening matches, creating buzz around the tournament and bringing fans together.

This is just one of the efforts France is making to impress the 600,000 foreign visitors set to arrive throughout the seven-week competition. According to Deloitte, the competition is expected to contribute between €1.9 and €2.4 billion to the French economy.

After a night of French celebrations, rugby fans braved the 32-degree heat and returned to Place de la Concorde to watch Saturday's four successive matches. In the sea of different rugby jerseys, people sweated, passed balls around and talked rugby.

Financial data analyst Dan and transport worker Ross flew over together on Friday night from Wales to watch the opening weekend's games in the atmosphere of the Paris fan zone. After a delayed flight, they arrived five minutes before kick-off, suitcases and all. “The atmosphere was unbelievable,” says Dan.

Both were remarkably impressed with the facilities. “I think