Gastgeber France started the Rugby World Cup with a bang in front of 80,000 fans at the Stade de France. Les Tricolores defeated three-time world champions New Zealand 27:13 (9:8) in the top game of Group A after being 9:13 behind. Accompanied by a few whistles, President Emanuel Macron had previously opened the XXL tournament, which is also seen as a kind of test run for the 2024 Summer Olympics on the Seine.
20 teams compete at the World Cup, divided into four groups of five. After the preliminary round, the teams in first and second place qualify for the quarter-finals. Over 2.5 million tickets have been sold so far for this year’s tournament, which ends with the final at the Stade de France on October 28th. Defending champions South Africa start the tournament against Scotland on Sunday.
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