Venues confirmed for WXV 1 in New Zealand

Auckland, Dunedin and Wellington will host WXV1 later this year as the world’s top teams return to New Zealand a year on from a record-breaking Rugby World Cup.

The announcement will enable more fans across New Zealand to see world champions Black Ferns in action, along with five of the top-ranked teams, including England, France and Wales.

WXV 1 will run from 20 October to 4 November with each venue hosting a standalone Friday test followed by a Saturday double-header.

Following a record-breaking Rugby World Cup 2021, the world’s best players will return to New Zealand for a nationwide celebration of international women’s rugby. The matches will be played at Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart (Auckland), Sky Stadium (Wellington) and Forsyth Barr Stadium (Dunedin).

So far, England, France and Wales have secured their places in WXV 1 by virtue of their performances in the TikTok Women’s Six Nations 2023. They will be joined by the top three finishers from this year’s World Rugby Pacific Four Series, which features Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA and resumes on 29 June in Brisbane, Australia.

Fans will be able to register their interest in tickets in advance here to ensure they are first in line to secure seats once the final match schedule has been confirmed.

World Rugby’s Chief of Women’s Rugby, Sally Horrox said: “We are thrilled to head to Auckland, Dunedin and Wellington for WXV 1 and to Cape Town in South Africa for WXV 2 as we push forward with our planning for the inaugural tournament alongside our hosts, New Zealand Rugby and South Africa Rugby.

“In New Zealand, from the get-go, we were committed to ensuring the tournament travelled to both the North and South Islands, showcasing some of the top teams in the world across the country and we can’t wait to see the players and the fans back watching international rugby this October.”

WXV is being supported by partners Mastercard, Capgemini and Gallagher, with World Rugby also injecting multi-million pound investment funding over an initial two-year period in the sprint to an expanded 16-team Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.