Exactly one year after the announcement that France would host the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the official logo and visual identity for the tournament have been revealed.
World Rugby and the France 2023 organising committee officially launched the logo at a special event in Paris on Thursday, marking once year since hosting rights were awarded to France.
The journey to the tenth Rugby World Cup is well under way.
The length and breadth of France, 10 cities will play host to the 20 teams that will lock horns across 48 matches in the battle to claim Rugby World Cup glory.
More than 450,000 spectators are expected to visit Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Paris and its suburb Saint-Denis, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse, those regions hosting the world’s biggest players, including the superstars of the Six Nations.
Nine stadia will host France 2023 games, from the 33,150-capacity Stadium de Toulouse to the 80,698 Stade de France – Les Bleus’ Six Nations home.
In 1998, the Stade de France, based in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, became the country’s new national rugby stadium, with France cutting the ribbon by defeating England en route to a Five Nations Grand Slam in February of that year.
Two years later, Italy joined the tournament and the Stade de France hosted its first official Six Nations match, Brian O’Driscoll starring with a hat-trick of tries as Les Bleus were beaten by Ireland. The sixth-largest stadium in Europe, the Stade de France is woven into the fabric of the Six Nations. Marseille also featured on the rota in 2018, with France defeating Italy in their first-ever home Six Nations match outside of Paris. The 2023 World Cup will see France host the tournament for the second time in their history, becoming the first nation to do so. Back in 2007, an engrossing World Cup saw an all-Six Nations clash take centre stage in the semi-finals, England edging out Les Bleus 14-9, Jonny Wilkinson’s boot supplementing an early try from Josh Lewsey. France had previously knocked out title favourites New Zealand in an enthralling quarter-final clash. In the end, England just fell short in their bid to retain the Webb Ellis Cup, losing 15-6 to South Africa at the Stade de France.
Be there
Do you want to experience rugby at the Stade de France? Enter our special ticket competition and you could be at a Six Nations match in Paris in 2019!
