With exactly one year to go, tickets are now on sale for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 in San Francisco. Tournament organizers are confident that the winning blend of world-class men’s and women’s sevens, an action-packed program, and the tremendous hospitality the Bay Area has to offer visitors will make next summer’s tournament the most memorable Rugby event in U.S. history.
Tickets are available now at www.rwcsevens.com and are priced starting at just $125 for a three-day pass. USA Rugby is hopeful to attract new fans to the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. that has already started to capture hearts and minds of enthusiasts across the country. Hosted at iconic AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, the tournament runs from July 20-22, 2018 and aims to take the sevens experience and give it a uniquely American flavor in a world-renowned sports market known for its innovative and engaging fan experience.
“We are officially one year away from the most historic Rugby event in U.S. history and are excited that tickets are officially on sale to the public, said Stephen Revetria, Senior Vice President of Giants Enterprises. “Our various presale offers this week have performed very well and we are expecting a fantastic response from fans around the world leading into a truly memorable tournament next summer.”
The tournament will bring together the world’s top 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams for three days of intense competition spread across two venues. New Zealand will be trying to retain the 2013 men’s and women’s titles they won in Moscow while Olympic champions Fiji (men) and Australia (women), among others, will be pushing them all the way. A new, innovative format will be in place for the tournament ensuring that every single match is critical for teams looking to progress to the final stages.
“This is the day that sevens fans in the USA and around the world have been waiting for as the tickets for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 go on sale for the first time,” said Bill Beaumont, World Rugby Chairman. “Through a competitive ticketing program and a global broadcast platform, USA 2018 will give thousands of sports fans in the San Francisco Bay Area, all along the west coast of North America and around the world the opportunity to experience this thrilling, all-action sport up close and personal.”
A program of official supporter tour packages for visiting international and domestic fans will be announced shortly and further details can be found by visiting www.rwcsevens.com.
“Today is a special landmark for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 as we are now engaging directly with the global rugby family and general public,” said Dan Payne, USA Rugby CEO. “We offer a warm welcome to all visitors to San Francisco and we are confident that you will leave knowing that you have been part of something special, a tournament that has connected with a new rugby frontier and one that has added to the sport’s reach and left its mark.”
Following a spectacular debut at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, and increasingly popular HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, the sport has never enjoyed such a prominent global spotlight.
“Our goal is to deliver a spectacular Rugby World Cup Sevens that delivers a variety of ticket packages affordable for all visitors,” said Payne “And while spectators will come for the rugby, they will stay for everything else that the amazing city of San Francisco and its surrounding area has to offer. It really could be the rugby trip of a lifetime.”
15 men’s and 10 women's teams have already qualified for the tournament and anticipation is growing that RWC Sevens 2018 will provide a tremendously important boost to the growing sport.
New format for RWC Sevens 2018
Men’s:
Three-day tournament (Friday, July 20, Saturday, July 21, and Sunday, July 22)
The 24 teams are seeded from 1-24 based on HSBC World Rugby Sevens World Series results and additional criteria for the regional teams who did not compete at the series. The seeding criteria will be confirmed in October.
Teams who are seeded 9-24 play a qualifier round on Friday, July 20 with the winners advancing to a Round of 16 against the teams seeded 1 to 8 and the losers going into the Bowl competition.
The winners of the Round of 16 progress to the Championships competition while the losers go into the Challenge competition.
Then each competition is played with quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.
The Championship final will take place during the afternoon of Sunday, July 22.
Women’s:
Two-day tournament (Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21)
Same principle and format as for the men, but with two competitions – Championships and Challenge (no qualification round or Bronze competition).
The Championships final will take place the evening of Saturday, July 21.
Why this format? World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper said: “The inclusion of rugby into the Olympic Games program has been great for the sport in many ways and is now the pinnacle event for sevens. Equally, the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series has given the shorter format of the game a profile and following never before seen. As a result of these success stories, there is an opportunity to examine what Rugby World Cup Sevens is and where this great tournament sits in the hearts and minds of players and fans around the world. We want to make sure it is a special event with its own identity that provides a unique experience to fans, teams and viewers, something different to what they see on the series or at the Olympics.”
“So, we have come up with this innovative, never-before-used format that allows for a fully integrated competition between men and women to be completed within three days. It provides a prime-time final for the women on Saturday night and the same for men on Sunday with every match being crucial along the way. This will provide the drama and excitement of a knock-out competition for all matches with no draws. The pre-event seeding, based on teams’ relative strength, should limit one-sided matches and ensure that all matches are spectacular with fewer predictable outcomes.”
About Giants Enterprises: Giants Enterprises, the entrepreneurial arm of the San Francisco Giants dedicated to developing new ventures beyond the Major League Baseball franchise, hosts one-of-a-kind experiences at AT&T Park, throughout San Francisco, on San Francisco Bay and beyond. Giants Enterprises has produced thousands of events over the last 17+ years, including the 34th America’s Cup, delivering the Official Spectator Experiences and successfully commercializing the event for the first time in its 160-year history. In addition, Giants Enterprises has produced and executed major concerts, international soccer matches, professional & college football games and The Giant Race series. One of the top hospitality, event, entertainment and sports consultancy teams in the world, Giants Enterprises operates 14 venues in and around AT&T Park in addition to two luxury maritime vessels. For more information, visit www.giantsenterprises.com.
About USA Rugby: World Rugby granted USA Rugby hosting rights of the largest international sevens tournament in 2015. USA Rugby is leading the planning and delivery of this international tournament in San Francisco working in partnership with World Rugby, local partners and officials. The Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 Championship will be played in the iconic AT&T Park, featuring the best 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams from around the world. For more information, visit www.rwcsevens.com.
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