Comparing 2013 Rugby League World Cup attendances to 2021

Rugby League World Cup final. PA Images

The 2021 Rugby League World Cup double-header finals at Old Trafford saw a crowd of 67,502, taking the aggregate for the men’s tournament past 400,000.

The aggregate of just over 400,000 falls below the recordof 453,483 established for the last tournament in England in 2013.

The 2021 opener between England and Samoa saw a crowd of43,199 at St James’ Park, with a further 13,366 at Headingley Stadium for Australia versus Fiji, breaking an opening day record.

The double header back in 2013 at the then-Millennium Stadium in Cardiff recorded a crowd of 45,052 as Australia defeated England, before Italy claimed a 32-16 victory over Wales.

The 2013 final between Australia and New Zealand at Old Trafford also saw a crowd of74,468, although 2021 World Cup chief Jon Dutton remained upbeat, insisting this year’s brought in three times the revenue.

The men’s 2021 World Cup saw an aggregate of 423,789, beating the382,080 total from the 2017 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Here are some more comparisons for 2013 and 2021 in the men’s tournament.

Rugby League World Cup group stages

New Zealand’s first game of the 2013 tournament came against Samoa at the Halliwell Jones Stadium with14,965 in attendance. It’s well over the recorded attendance for their opening clash in 2022, with a disappointing 5,453 against Lebanon at the same venue; possibly the most upsetting crowd of the tournament.

France played Greece in their debut year in the competition in front of a crowd4,182 at Doncaster. Their opening 2013 game came against Papua New Guinea at Craven Park, with 7,481 in attendance.

France also played two games on home soil back in 2013.17,518 spectators in Avignon against New Zealand and 11,576 in Perpignan against Samoa.

The 2013 World Cup also saw games taken to Cumbria – something that was scrapped this tournament.7,630 attended Workington’s Derwent Park to witness Scotland beat Tonga 26-24.

At the same venue,7,280 saw Scotland and Italy draw 30-30.

This year, the Bravehearts played two of their games at Kingston Park, Newcastle, with crowds of6,206 versus Italy and 6,736 against Fiji.

The lowest crowd of the 2013 tournament came in Neath, with3,270 for Wales against Cook Islands. 3,675 was this year’s at Kingston Park as Fiji defeated Italy 60-4.

2013 also saw a game taken to Limerick, as5,021 witnessed Australia against Ireland.

England’s attendances

Elsewhere in 2013, England recorded attendances of24,375 in Huddersfield against Ireland and 25,114 in Hull against Fiji.

In the delayed 2021 tournament, Sheffield hosted its first-ever rugby league fixture between England and Greece with a crowd of18,760.

This year also saw a record attendance of 23,648 between England and France in Bolton. It was the biggest-ever crowd to watch the two nations collide in England.

Quarter-finals

The 2013 quarter-finals saw an accumulative crowd of 57,011, an average of 14,252 between the four games. This year recorded 51,139 – the largest coming at the DW Stadium with 23,179 as England defeated Papua New Guinea. It was also the biggest attendance ever recorded for a single quarter-final fixture, while the Princess of Wales also attended.

Semi-finals

The semi-finals in 2013 saw a double-header at Wembley Stadium, as Shaun Johnson broke the hearts of England fans with a 20-18 scoreline, before Australia demolished Fiji 64-0.67,545 fans attended the day in London.

The 2021 tournament topped that, with 68,602 across the two semi-finals – another record. Leeds United’s Elland Road recorded28113年澳大利亚击败新西兰16-14. It was also the first-ever rugby league fixture at the Emirates Stadium. 40,489 viewed on as Stephen Crichton kicked the golden point winner to knock out hosts England.

Final

The 2013 World Cup final saw an attendance of 74,468 at Old Trafford, as Australia defeated New Zealand 34-2. The 2021 tournament saw a strong 67,502 as the Kangaroos claimed their 12th title with a 30-10 win over Samoa.

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About Josh McAllister 2101 Articles
Journalist. Joined the Love Rugby League team full time at the start of 2022 having been a freelance reporter for several years. Previously media manager for Swinton and Rochdale.

2 Comments

  1. While the womens and wheelchair games have been fast tracked thanks mainly to TV may be in a good place, the mens game which showcases any sport (with the exception of beach volleyball) certainly is not. Attendances have been woeful, and to blame cost of living crisis is a poor excuse, particularly when Twickenham sells out at sky high prices. Existing rugby league fans have to be retained as much as new ones found.
    Was there too much emphasis on advance ticket sales, when just about every game could have taken walk ups if this had been encouraged by advertising the fact? Do we need to move back to a winter game to fit in international tours?
    I am not sure of the answers, but the RLWC organisers never asked the right questions.

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