Rugby World Cup director defends crazy $1,950 category one ticket cost for final
Next year's Rugby World Cup final will officially be the most expensive to attend in the game's history, with top-tier tickets to the prized event priced at almost $2,000 a pop - or a return flight to Europe.
In fact, it will be the most expensive in Australian footy history.
After an incredible 750,000 tickets were sold during World Rugby's controversial pre-sales stage in February, the next stage of ticket sales for the 2027 showpiece event on Australian soil – the first time the country has hosted the tournament since 2003 – will open on Tuesday.
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While one million tickets for the tournament will cost less than $100, including tickets for children starting at $20, the cheapest ticket to the big dance is $175.
Lote Tuqiri scores a try for Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final. Photo: Steve Christo Sydney Morning Herald
But it's the category one tickets to the final, which will be held on November 13, 2027, that have caused a stir.
At $1,950, the pricing is the most expensive in World Cup history.
It is almost $400 more than the 2023 World Cup final in Paris ($1,586) and $600 more than the 2019 edition in Japan.
The category one ticket is also more than four times as expensive as the same ticket in 2003 ($450), the last time Australia held the final.
The category one ticket price dwarfs the prices of the showpiece events in other Australian football codes like the State of Origin ($509), NRL grand final ($409) and AFL grand final ($515).
It's also almost 10 times ($120) more than the FIFA Women's World Cup final in 2023.
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But the tickets are short of the Australian Open tennis tournament, where a seat at Rod Laver Arena for the men's final started at $2,400 and rose to almost $9,000 under a dynamic pricing system where prices are adjusted according to demand.
This year's FIFA Men's World Cup final, where the match will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, has climbed to a jaw-dropping $46,000.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Rugby World Cup 2027 managing director Chris Stanley defended the pricing throughout the tournament, including the final, and said it gave everyone a chance to attend the first tournament on Australian shores in 24 years.
"We looked at various benchmarks across different events and different sports, and developed the pricing strategy that we came up with," he told the Herald.
"There's a lot of work that goes into developing our ticketing strategy, and we're really keen to provide as many tickets as we could at the bottom end. We had originally a million tickets under a hundred bucks, which obviously sold a lot of those in the pre-sale.
"So, to make it accessible, like all major events, there is an element where you have to charge more at the top end."
The Wallabies pose wearing moustaches ahead of Nic White's final Test. Getty
While the pre-sale stage rolled out in February promoted massive backlash, with angry fans experiencing 10-hour waits and system crashes on the World Cup ticketing website, fans should enjoy a smoother experience on Tuesday afternoon.
That's because, unlike the first-come, first-served system used in February, the "application phase" will see fans simply apply for their ticket choices over two weeks. If games are oversubscribed, a ballot system will be used.
The money-spinning event won't just help fill the coffers for World Rugby, but Rugby Australia too.
Indeed, RA will get a $100 million flat fee for hosting the tournament.
It will be the second major rugby event in three years for RA, with the governing body posting a record $70.6m surplus for the 2025 year.
The cash windfall came off the back of hosting the British and Irish Lions, with the tourists winning the three-match Test series 2-1.
The Wallabies will open the 2027 World Cup by taking on Hong Kong China in Perth on October 1, before meeting fellow Pool A opponents the All Blacks in Sydney and Chile in Brisbane.
