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The world cup tournament will travel around England and Wales, in 11 different cities and 13 different stadiums. A tournament that will witness the matches between the best rugby teams in the world.
And the best teams in the world can only play in the best stadiums of the two Nations.
London
The capital of the UK hosts three different stadiums: Wembley (the largest stadium in United Kingdom), Twickenham (home of the English National Rugby team), and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – built, as the name may suggest, for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Twickenham stadium will see the first kick of the World Cup, during the opening match England vs Fiji, and the last one, during the much anticipated finale.
Birmingham
The second city of England is the home town of the famous Premier League team Aston Villa. The Villa Park Stadium was built on the site of a Victorian amusement park, and the brick façade of the Holte End is iconic of the period and of the city.
Brighton
The beachside city is known worldwide for its Brighton Pier and the pleasure sites upon the Channel. The Brighton Community Stadium is home of the Brighton and Hove Albions, called the seagulls by their fans, and its unique architecture is appreciated by many.
Cardiff
Cardiff is the only city outside England where a match will be played. In the capital of Wales you’ll find the wonderful Millennium Stadium, home of the Welsh National Rugby team. The stadium is covered by an enormous roof which is fully retractable during sunny days. Curiosity: the Welsh name of the structure is Stadiwm y Mileniwm.
Exeter
1873: the first recorded match played by the local rugby club –The Exeter Chiefs- was played in this year. Exeter surely has a great tradition for rugby and, after the World Cup, its main stadium – Sandy Park – will almost double its capacity, from 12 300 to 20 600. This renovation will make it one of the biggest rugby stadiums in England.
Gloucester
Kingsholm Stadium is home of Gloucester Rugby and one of the few stadiums of this list that is mainly used for rugby matches. In its ground was played the first international match of Rugby history, between England and Wales (Wales won 13-3).
Kingsholm Stadium has also been the home stadium of the England National rugby team before Twickenham.
Leeds
Ellan Road first opened in 1897 as a rugby ground – rugby was the dominant sport at the time in West Riding, before football gained popularity only few years later. Now the stadium is home of Leeds United AFC, and the local rugby lead team (Leeds Rhinos) plays in the Headingley Stadium. Curiosity: In the opening scene of the 2010-film The King’s Speech, Elland Road has been used as a substitute to the old Wembley Stadium.
Leicester
Close to the banks of river Soar, lies the Walker Stadium. Usually the stadium hosts the matches of Leicester city football team (it has also been home for the English National football team during the close of Wembley Stadium in 2002).
Manchester
The biggest city of Northern England opened this superb structure in 2002, as the main venue for the Commonwealth Games.
Since then, the Manchester City Stadium has not only been the home of Manchester City F.C., but has hosted numerous match and sport events and also major concerts, like the ones for the local superstar bands, Take That and Oasis.
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes is a “new town” raised in the ’60, as a satellite town of London. The Stadium MK was opened in 2007, and recently a new tier was built, to give it a capacity of 30 500.
Newcastle
St James’ Park is the northernmost stadium of the tournament. The stadium has a capacity of 52,409 people and some of the seats are so high that they can cause vertigo to the fans watching the match. Newcastle United Football Club has been played in this stadium since 1892.
Extra: Rugby
Could the native town of the sport have been left behind? Of course it couldn’t! You know the legend: during a football match the student William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran toward the goal post, inventing the game. No matches will be played here, but the city is worth a visit for the Rugby World Cup 2015 festival.
