Rugby World Cup 2023 

A springboard for Provençal sport

Marseille is one of 9 host cities for the 2023 RWC. The Velodrome, the scene of some of the world’s most prestigious sporting events and exploits, will have the opportunity to fire people up 6 times next autumn.

By Maurice Gouiran

Between sea and mountains, the South of France is an exceptional region with infrastructures and climate favouring various sporting activities. It has 86 regional leagues and committees, 11,000 + clubs, and 1 million members. The sporting heart of Provence will beat to the rhythm of the Rugby World Cup in 2023. Named host nation in 2017, France has designated 5 stadiums to host this event, including Marseille. England, France, Argentina, South Africa, and Scotland will each step onto the pitch at the Orange Velodrome during the group stage. The same pitch will then host 2 quarterfinals.

Provence, the land of rugby

The Provençal public’s tremendous enthusiasm for this World Cup organized around 4 key commitments (reducing its environmental impact, working towards a circular and sustainable economy, committing to education, training, and employment, and supporting inclusion and accessibility for all), will crown Provence as the land of rugby. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur South Rugby League has an extensive network of 28,000 members in 120 clubs, including prestigious professional clubs that are veritable driving forces.

Provence Rugby, which plays in the Pro D2, is experiencing exponential growth, boosted by the recent opening of a third stand. The club also organizes fun and festive evenings during home matches. 20 or so food trucks at the stadium entrance, and post-match music and live concerts ensure a convivial atmosphere. On the sporting front, launching a training centre for young people from Provence and partnerships with clubs in the region have strengthened and consolidated the club’s foundations, a subsidiary of Voyage Privé, which has 400 companies in its ranks. Toulon Rugby Club is a veritable institution. Created in 1908, 4 times French champion and 3 times European champion, the club gets a lot of media coverage due to the plethora of international players (French and foreign) who make up its squad. RCT attracts an average of 15,000 spectators (including 8,000 season ticket holders) at Stade Mayol and an audience of half a million television viewers per match broadcast. With 450 partner companies supporting it, the club is the Var department’s primary communication medium. 2023 will be a big year for RCT as it opens its Campus – the RCT training and performance centre – with a Club House including a restaurant, a shop, and large seminar spaces. While the major sporting event in 2023 will be the Rugby World Cup, the 2024 event will be the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will bring some of the events to our region: Marseille will host some 330 athletes coming to compete in 10 Olympic sailing regattas from 26 July to 11 August; football will also be present with 8 matches scheduled in Marseille and 6 in Nice. Be it for the Rugby World Cup or JOP2024, the eyes of television viewers worldwide will turn towards the city of Marseille and the South of France.

Les 6 matches de la coupe du Monde de rugby programmés à Marseille

Angleterre – Argentine 

le samedi 9 septembre 2023

Afrique du Sud – Écosse 

le dimanche 10 septembre 2023

France – Namibie

le jeudi 21 septembre 2023

Afrique du Sud, Tonga

le dimanche 1er octobre 2023

Quart de finale 1^er Poule C

2e Poule D, le samedi 14 octobre 2023

Quart de finale 1^er Poule D

2^e Poule C, le dimanche 15 octobre 2023