Rugby World Cup 2015 set to be the biggest in history

The 2015 Rugby World Cup is set to be the biggest of its kind to date following an increase in ticket capacity to 2.45 million on the back of final configuration across the 13 match venues.

A total of 40,000 tickets are currently on sale at tickets.rugbyworldcup.com and a further 100,000 additional tickets will go on sale Monday (July 27).

More than 2.15 million have already sold.

The additional tickets are a mixture of extra seats from the completion of venue configuration, handbacks from the Rugby World Cup Limited commercial programme, and tickets that have been registered for re-sale from fans who can no longer use their tickets.

Tickets for all 48 matches across England and Wales will be available, with fans that applied for England and knock-out matches at Twickenham Stadium during the September 2014 ballot, and have yet to secure seats, to be given priority access.

The sale will take place in four stages, across five days, via tickets.rugbyworldcup.com.

"England 2015 is on track to be the biggest Rugby World Cup ever and with ticket demand continuing to grow we are confident that it will be a truly special, unmissable and record-breaking global celebration of rugby,” said World Rugby and Rugby World Cup Limited chairman Bernard Lapasset.

"An increased ticketing capacity is great news for rugby fans, major event enthusiasts and those who just want to experience what looks set to be the sporting event of the year and the biggest event in the UK in 2015.

“I have no doubt that England 2015 will reach out and inspire new audiences in the host nation and around the globe in a way no other Rugby World Cup has done.”

On Monday, 15,000 tickets for the three England pool matches at Twickenham Stadium in London will go on sale at midday, while 48 hours later, 30,000 tickets for the knock-out stages will be made available for purchase. 

The sales are open to fans that applied for England tickets at Twickenham Stadium during the ballot in September 2014 and have been unsuccessful in buying tickets for these matches to date.

A total of 30,000 tickets for Pool A and B matches will go on general sale on Thursday (July 30) at midday, including any remaining tickets to England matches and the knock-out stage matches that have not been sold in the previous day's sales window.

Twenty-four hours later, 25,000 tickets for Pool C and D matches will go on general sale, including any remaining tickets to Pool A and B matches, England matches, and the knock-out stage matches not sold in the previous day's sale.

"Selling 2.15 million tickets puts us firmly on track to be one of the best attended tournaments to date and we are really pleased with sales so far,” Stephen Brown, managing director of England Rugby 2015, said.

“We have worked hard to ensure that we have as many seats for fans as possible and are pleased to confirm the increased ticket capacity of 2.45 million across the tournament now that our venue configurations are complete.

"We continue to see strong demand for tickets and have introduced a priority sales window for England and knock-out match tickets as the next wave of sales are launched.

“This will provide fans who applied for tickets to these matches in the September 2014 ballot, and have yet to secure seats, with an increased opportunity to buy.

“Excitement around the tournament continues to grow and as we approach 50 days to go, it really is going to be too big to miss.”

Last month, former England captain Martin Johnson, who led his country to victory at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, launched the official ticket design for this year's edition.  

The 2015 Rugby World Cup is due to take place from September 18 to October 31.