World Rugby has announced that tickets for this year’s Rugby World Cup Sevens in South Africa will go on sale on February 28.
The three-day tournament will run in Cape Town (pictured) from September 9-11 and will feature 40 men’s and women’s teams from across the globe.
Organisers hope this year’s tournament can build one the success of the previous event in San Francisco in 2018 and continue the momentum from the Tokyo Olympic Games last year.
World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “The announcement of the ticket sales dates is a major milestone as momentum builds on the road to what promises to be a fantastic Rugby World Cup Sevens in a hugely popular destination for sevens.
“Cape Town has a strong track record of hosting world-class rugby sevens competitions and fans can look forward to a feast of entertainment over three action-packed days, while the teams will be looking forward to playing in front of a passionate and knowledgeable crowd.”
Beaumont added: “Following in the footsteps of rugby sevens highly impactful second appearance at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town will provide a perfect platform for the best players in the world to showcase the speed, skill and drama of rugby sevens and inspire many more new players and fans around the world.
“We will continue to work closely with the SA Rugby Union and all other stakeholders to ensure the delivery of a safe and secure world-class event for players, teams and fans to enjoy.”
Six teams will appear at this year’s event that have not featured in Cape Town before, including a Colombia women’s team, and Hong Kong and Korea’s men’s teams. They have joined five pre-qualified women’s teams and eight pre-qualified men’s teams.
Some 21 teams have already secured their place for the event with regional competitions to come for those battling it out for the remaining 19 spots.
Jurie Roux, chief executive of SA Rugby, said: “The opportunity of seeing the best rugby teams on the planet vying for the title of world champions hasn’t been experienced in South Africa since 1995, which will make this a very special occasion.”
Tickets for the tournament will cost between R150 (£7.30/$9.90/€8.65) and R1,750.
Roux added: “The global vaccine roll-out has allowed the return of capacity crowds around the world and we’re expecting that experience to return to South Africa by the time of Rugby World Cup Sevens.
“The health and safety of athletes and fans will be of the highest priority, and the current expectation is that all attendees will need to be vaccinated to gain entry. That requirement may be dropped in due course at which point the requirement will be removed.”
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