YORK’S LNER Community Stadium is one of eight venues to have been chosen to host the 2025 Rugby World Cup.

The tenth edition of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, the tournament will be held at venues across England between August 22 and September 27 2025.

Brighton’s Amex Stadium, Bristol’s Ashton Gate and Sandy Park in Exeter are also among the host stadiums, with the final earmarked for the 82,000 capacity Twickenham.

New Zealand are the tournament’s defending champions, having beaten a 14-woman England 34-31 in the Final last November.

York Knights stun Widnes Vikings in sensational second-half fightback

York is no stranger to hosting world rugby, with all six of the Group B fixtures, as well as the Semi Finals of the 2021 Women’s Rugby League World Cup held in the city.

The World Cup will expand for 2025, with 16 teams competing compared to the 12 in 2021. Hosts England will qualify automatically, alongside France, Canada and New Zealand, who all reached the Semi Final stage of its previous edition.

Remaining participants will be decided by their positions in World Rugby’s new WXV tournament and in regional competitions.

Over 150,000 fans attended the 2021 Rugby World Cup, with 1.8 million viewers in England and New Zealand tuning into the Final between the countries.

York Valkyrie beat Wigan Warriors to earn back-to-back League Leaders' Shields

Fans will also be able to see local talent, including Kirkbymoorside's Tatyana Heard, take to the field.

Sue Day, the RFU's chief operating officer and chief finance officer, said the venues chosen would give fans “the chance to be inspired by world-class sporting action."

"It's access to tournaments like these that can light a spark in people, and we hope it will encourage a new generation of people to give rugby a try for themselves.”

Ticketing and scheduling information is set to be released in 2024.

2025 Rugby World Cup host venues:

Twickenham, London (82,000)

Stadium of Light, Sunderland (49,000)

Amex Stadium, Brighton (31,876)

Ashton Gate, Bristol (27,000)

Sandy Park, Exeter (15,600)

Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton (15,249)

Salford Community Stadium, Manchester (12,000)

LNER Community Stadium, York (8,500)