Jonny Wilkinson breaks Australian hearts on home soil in 2003.Getty ImagesBut the World Cup’s $1950 ticket still dwarfs the most expensive seat-only tickets at State of Origin ($509),the NRL grand final ($409) and the AFL grand final ($515),and even VIP tickets at the Formula One ($1045) and recent tours of Taylor Swift ($1295) and Oasis ($1100).
The most expensive tickets to see the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in 2023,and the Asian Cup final this year,at Accor Stadium were in the $150 range.
“We looked at various benchmarks across different events and different sports,and developed the pricing strategy that we came up with,” Rugby World Cup 2027 managing director Chris Stanley said.
“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 most expensive ticket in Australian sport:Watching Carlos Alcaraz win the Australian Open from a courtside seat.Eddie JimThe 2027 World Cup isn’t using the controversial dynamic pricing system,which also led to tickets for the FIFA World Cup final in the US in July soaring as high as $46,000.
Big pool games featuring Australia,England,Ireland and New Zealand have the highest ticket prices,and category one tickets are $890 or higher from the quarter-finals on.
But World Cup organisers also sought to provide far more tickets at “affordable” prices in 2027,with a million tickets – or 30 per cent of the total 2.5 million – costing less than $100. The cheapest seats are $20 for a child and $40 for an adult in multiple venues.
Lowest category tickets for Wallabies games and early play-offs are also available from $65,and the cheapest ticket to attend the final is $175.
Stanley said that money raised at men’s World Cups is the main source of revenue for World Rugby,“which then goes back into the game” over the next four years.
“So it’s getting that balance right,from the higher-end tickets all the way down to the bottom,and making sure we pitch it right for every match,” he said.
World Rugby and Rugby Australia are co-hosting the 2027 World Cup in a new joint venture model that eliminates financial risk for the host nation. RA will get a flat fee of $100 million.
Stanley said that World Rugby was “blown away” by the interest in the pre-sale phase,in which fans from 135 countries bought tickets.
Stanley said supporters could opt to use a new “All Out Advantage” feature in their ticket application,whereby a fan can secure tickets in a higher or lower category if they miss out with their original order.
A third and final general sale of remaining tickets will be held at the end of the year,Stanley said.