How to watch the Rugby World Cup final in France
Whether you're travelling to Paris for the match or you just want to watch it on TV, here's everything you need to know about the final match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The France-hosted Rugby World Cup is drawing to a close and now just one match remains; the final on Saturday - a battle of the titans between New Zealand and defending champions South Africa.
In person
If you already have tickets and are planning a trip to Paris for the final match, be aware that France has raised its terror alert to the highest level and therefore security at the Stade de France is likely to be extremely tight.
Fans should allow plenty of time to pass through security checks on the approach to the stadium and at the gates. Gates will open at 6pm, ahead of the 9pm kick off.
If you don't have tickets already it's going to be tricky - the Rugby World Cup ticket site is currently showing the final as sold out, but there is an official resale site where fans who have tickets but cannot make the match can sell on their tickets.
If you're in France, you might also be offered tickets by your dejected French friends, who bought their final tickets in advance, convinced that Les Bleus would be there. Don't mock them - they're very sad right now.
The rugbyworldcup.com site is the only official resale site for tournament tickets, so if you see any for sale on other platforms be very, very careful that it’s not a scam.
You should also be aware that hotel bargains (or even vacant rooms) are going to be hard to come by in and around Paris and Saint-Denis, and that the cost of travel may well be high. Perhaps consider flying to a different French airport, then take the train. France is pretty good at trains.
READ ALSO Beer, balls and tackles: French vocab you'll need for the Rugby World Cup
Fan zones
If you can't get tickets, you might consider watching in a fan zone.
After a tournament spread around nine different host cities, the action returns to the Stade de France, just outside Paris, for the final matches.
Fan zones in the other host cities have now closed, with only Paris (Place de la Concorde) and Saint-Denis zones remaining fully open for the last match.
If you're planning a trip to the fan zone on Saturday consider taking a waterproof, the weather forecast is quite unsettled.
Bars
In contrast to the France games, when bars and cafés the length and breadth of the country were screening games, now that the host nation are out, screenings have mostly reverted to sports bars.
There are plenty of them in France, however, as well as the inevitable Irish/Scottish/Australian bars that screen a wide variety of sports (even though their teams are also out).
On TV
TV coverage of the Rugby World Cup pool phase in France has been shared by free-to-air broadcasters TF1, France 2, and M6.
As rights-holders for the tournament, TF1 will broadcast the final games.
Final
Saturday, October 28th
9pm (Stade de France, Saint-Denis) - TF1
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The France-hosted Rugby World Cup is drawing to a close and now just one match remains; the final on Saturday - a battle of the titans between New Zealand and defending champions South Africa.
In person
If you already have tickets and are planning a trip to Paris for the final match, be aware that France has raised its terror alert to the highest level and therefore security at the Stade de France is likely to be extremely tight.
Fans should allow plenty of time to pass through security checks on the approach to the stadium and at the gates. Gates will open at 6pm, ahead of the 9pm kick off.
If you don't have tickets already it's going to be tricky - the Rugby World Cup ticket site is currently showing the final as sold out, but there is an official resale site where fans who have tickets but cannot make the match can sell on their tickets.
If you're in France, you might also be offered tickets by your dejected French friends, who bought their final tickets in advance, convinced that Les Bleus would be there. Don't mock them - they're very sad right now.
The rugbyworldcup.com site is the only official resale site for tournament tickets, so if you see any for sale on other platforms be very, very careful that it’s not a scam.
You should also be aware that hotel bargains (or even vacant rooms) are going to be hard to come by in and around Paris and Saint-Denis, and that the cost of travel may well be high. Perhaps consider flying to a different French airport, then take the train. France is pretty good at trains.
READ ALSO Beer, balls and tackles: French vocab you'll need for the Rugby World Cup
Fan zones
If you can't get tickets, you might consider watching in a fan zone.
After a tournament spread around nine different host cities, the action returns to the Stade de France, just outside Paris, for the final matches.
Fan zones in the other host cities have now closed, with only Paris (Place de la Concorde) and Saint-Denis zones remaining fully open for the last match.
If you're planning a trip to the fan zone on Saturday consider taking a waterproof, the weather forecast is quite unsettled.
Bars
In contrast to the France games, when bars and cafés the length and breadth of the country were screening games, now that the host nation are out, screenings have mostly reverted to sports bars.
There are plenty of them in France, however, as well as the inevitable Irish/Scottish/Australian bars that screen a wide variety of sports (even though their teams are also out).
On TV
TV coverage of the Rugby World Cup pool phase in France has been shared by free-to-air broadcasters TF1, France 2, and M6.
As rights-holders for the tournament, TF1 will broadcast the final games.
Final
Saturday, October 28th
9pm (Stade de France, Saint-Denis) - TF1
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