The following is a list of stadiums at which rugby union is played, ordered by seating capacity. Currently all stadiums with a capacity of 10,000 or more which are the regular home venue of a club or national team, or are the regular hosts of a major competition (such as an event in the World Rugby Sevens Series, its women's version, or the final of an annual national competition), are included. Stadiums for which the only rugby union use is hosting occasional matches or which have only hosted one-off rugby union tournaments are not included. Not all of these stadiums are primarily venues for rugby union, with some being primarily venues for another sport.
Current stadiums
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- Stade de France is often stated as being in Paris. Although it is in the metropolitan area, it is not in the city proper, as evidenced by its postal code of 93216. The first two digits of "93" indicate that it is in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis. Paris is department 75.
- France play Tests throughout the country, but typically play all Six Nations home matches at Stade de France (although one match in 2018 will be held in Marseille).
- Italy play Tests throughout the country, but since 2012 have played all Six Nations home matches at Stadio Olimpico.
- The Sevens has a permanent capacity of 4,000, but is designed to be expandable to 50,000 with temporary seating. The full capacity is used for the annual Dubai Sevens tournament, and was also used when the stadium hosted the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
- In recent years, Toulon have taken occasional home matches in both the Top 14 and European Rugby Champions Cup to this ground.
- Stade Toulousain regularly take at least two matches in the Top 14 and one in the European Rugby Champions Cup to this ground every season, though it was unable to do so from 2013–2015 due to renovations for UEFA Euro 2016.
- Japan play Tests throughout the country, but Chichibunomiya is the most widely used ground, and also houses the headquarters of the country's national federation.
Closed or demolished stadiums
| Stadium | Capacity (at time of closure) | City | Country | Home team | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The National Stadium | 53,000 | Cardiff |  Wales | Wales national team | 1997 | Replaced by Millennium Stadium. The 1970 North Stand of National Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park) forms "Glanmor's Gap" in Millennium Stadium; the remainder was demolished. |
| Newlands Stadium | 51,900 | Cape Town |  South Africa | Stormers, Western Province, some South Africa national team matches | 2021 | The stadium was set to be demolished, but was never demolished. Still till this day the stadium is there completely unused. |
| Lansdowne Road | 49,000 | Dublin |  Ireland | Ireland national team | 2007 | Demolished and replaced on-site by Aviva Stadium. |
| PETCO Park | 42,445 | San Diego |  United States | USA Sevens | 2010 | Remains in use for its original purpose of baseball. |
| Athletic Park | 39,000 | Wellington |  New Zealand | Wellington Hurricanes, Wellington Rugby Football Union, some New Zealand national team matches | 1999 | Demolished. The replacement venue, Wellington Regional Stadium, is 5.9 km (~3.7 miles) away. |
| Lancaster Park | 36,000 | Christchurch | New Zealand | Crusaders, Canterbury Rugby Football Union, some New Zealand national team matches | 2011 | Following major damage from the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, one stand was demolished, and demolition of the rest of the ground was mostly completed by September 2019.[3] |
| Carisbrook | 29,000 | Dunedin | New Zealand | Highlanders, Otago Rugby Football Union, some New Zealand national team matches | 2011 | Demolition began in early 2012. Parts of the stadium will be preserved or reused. |
| Dignity Health Sports Park | 27,000 | Carson | United States | USA Sevens | 2007 | Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer). |
| Cardiff City Stadium | 26,828 | Cardiff | Wales | Cardiff Blues | 2014 | Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer). |
| Vicarage Road | 19,920 | Watford |  England | Saracens | 2013 | Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer). |
| Loftus Road | 18,500 | London | England | London Wasps | 2001 | Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer). |
| Meadowbank Stadium | 16,500 | Edinburgh |  Scotland | Edinburgh | 2006 | Remains in use for many other sports, including football (soccer) and American football. |
| Racecourse Ground | 15,500 | Wrexham | Wales | Scarlets | 2009 | Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer), and has hosted rugby league since 2010. |
| Stade Jean-Bouin | 12,000 | Paris |  France | Stade Français | 2010 | Replaced on-site by a new stadium of the same name that opened in 2013. |
| Edgeley Park | 10,900 | Stockport | England | Sale Sharks | 2012 | Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer). |
| Firhill | 10,887 | Glasgow | Scotland | Glasgow Warriors | 2012 | Remains in use for its original purpose of football (soccer). |
Future stadiums
This list includes stadiums that are either under construction or planned.
| Stadium | Capacity (planned) | City | Country | Home team/Event Hosting | Opening | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSC Multi-Purpose Stadium | 60,000 | Dubai |  United Arab Emirates | TBA | ||
| One New Zealand Stadium | 30,000
(25,000 Permanent, 5,000 Temporary) |
Christchurch | New Zealand |
April, 2026 |  | |
| Macquarie Point Stadium | 24,500 | Hobart |  Australia |
2029 |
See also
References
- Also hosted select Stade Français matches until that club completed the current Stade Jean-Bouin in 2013, and also hosted select matches for Racing 92.
- Future plans call for expansion to 30,000.
- Hamilton, Tom (8 June 2017). "The unique spirit of the Crusaders -- Saturday's game against Lions is Christchurch's Test match". ESPN (UK). Retrieved 9 June 2017.