Sydney to host another World Cup final in 2027

SYDNEY : Sydney will host the 2027 Rugby World Cup final 24 years after England upset the Wallabies in the harbour city in the 2003 decider, World Rugby confirmed on Thursday.

The 82,000-seat Olympic stadium is expected to host both semi-finals, two quarter-finals and the bronze medal match.

Melbourne, which hosts the hulking Melbourne Cricket Ground, was once reported as a bidder for the final but will only stage two round of 16 matches and group round fixtures, World Rugby said in a statement.

Brisbane will instead host the other two quarter-finals.

Brisbane and Perth will host round of 16 matches, while Adelaide, Newcastle and Townsville will host group matches.

The 2027 World Cup will be the first to feature 24 teams, four more than the 2023 tournament in France which was won by South Africa.

The Springboks will bid for an unprecedented third World Cup trophy in succession in Australia.

Organisers expect 250,000 international visitors to spend A$1.3 billion ($810 million) in Australia during the six-week tournament.

($1 = 1.6036 Australian dollars)

(This story has been corrected to say 2003, not 2023, in paragraph 1)

(Writing by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)