Should Joe Schmidt's Ireland reach the 2019 Rugby World Cup final in Japan, Irish supporters could be saying sayonara to over €2,500 – and that's just for tickets to the seven games.
It would cost between €595 for Category D up to €2,502 for Category A to secure a ticket for all seven matches from the pool stages to the final at the International stadium in Yokohama city on Saturday November 2nd.
Those prices don’t take into account corporate hospitality packages, bundle packs for two matches or team packs, which consist of four matches.
Securing a ticket for all seven games in another story. As things stand World Rugby confirmed that there have been 1.5 million applications for a total of 1.8 million tickets with demand exceeding supply for the number of tickets available during the initial team and stadium packs, rugby family, rugby friends and host city priority application phases.
The Front Row/Supporters’ Club priority ballot application phase process opened on May 19th and will close on June 26th. It is not based on a first-come, first-served format as the organisers have said that applications made at any time between those dates will have “an equal chance of success”.
Once the window closes, a ballot will be run and all applicants will receive a communication from the Japan Rugby 2019 organising committee at the end of that month. The remaining tickets will go on general public sale on September 20th. The most popular matches include those involving hosts Japan, New Zealand, England, France and South Africa.
There has been a general increase in ticket prices from the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, where there was 2.3 million tickets for sale. Examining it from an Irish perspective, the pool-defining game between Ireland and France at the Principality stadium in Cardiff at the 2015 tournament was the most expensive – not including the knock-out phase.
A Category A ticket cost €287 and for the equivalent match in terms of the price structure in 2019 , when Ireland take on hosts Japan, is €318, an increase of €31 or just under 11 per cent. That filters right down with Category B showing an increase of €38, Category C €16 and Category D €22. The price of a child ticket in Category C – 15 years of age and under and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian – is up from €17 to €40, although the price hike in Category D for the same ticket is negligible from €17 to €20.
While the most expensive non-corporate ticket for an Ireland game is €318, supporters can attend that Japan game on a Category D ticket for €79. The cheapest ticket for an Ireland match is their pool clash with Russia, ranging from €119 (Category A) down to just €24 (Category D). The pricing structure for Ireland's opening game of the tournament, against Scotland in Yokohama on September 22nd, is €238, €175, €111 and €56.
Dublin-based Club Travel have the imprimatur of the 2019 Japan RWC organisers as the official travel agent in Ireland. While a spokesman for the company couldn't offer any specific figures in relation to those who have expressed an interest or booked to attend the Rugby World Cup in Japan for commercially sensitive reasons, he did admit that they were pleasantly surprised by the volume of enquiries.
“We launched at the beginning of April and the interest has far exceeded what we would have expected at this point.”
The company offer six different packages with the most popular to date a 14-night tour that takes in Ireland's pool matches against Scotland, Japan and Russia that includes flights, hotels, transfers, Category D match tickets that can be upgraded at an extra cost, and various escorted sightseeing trips to Mount Fuji and Masumoto Castle, to highlight two, for €6,199 plus taxes. The spokesman confirmed that there had been a handful of enquiries to cost staying for the duration of the six-week tournament.
Another option is to take in the Scotland and Japan games as part of a 10-night package (€5,199 plus taxes) while Club Travel also offer quarter-final packages and also a one-match alternative, that costs from €699-€789 depending on Ireland’s opponents and includes two nights B&B in a hotel, a match ticket but excludes flights. The World Cup final package is already sold out.
World Rugby confirmed that globally an estimated 40,000 fans have purchased a range of ticket-inclusive travel packages.
