Rugby League World Cup organisers expect record ticket sales

Rugby League World Cup organisers are expecting record-breaking ticket sales for this year's tournament, with a quarter of a million already sold.

The tournament will be staged at venues throughout England this autumn.

England's opening game against Samoa in Newcastle on 15 October is one of several matches heading for a sell-out.

"We are delighted to hit such a significant milestone for ticket sales at this stage," said the tournament's director of revenue, Mick Hogan.

"We are incredibly excited that this year's World Cup is going to be the best attended in the long history of our sport."

The tournament - postponed from last year - features men's, women's and wheelchair competitions, and every game will be shown live by the BBC.

Organisers believe more than half a million tickets will have been sold by the time the tournament takes place.

All of England's men's group games - at Sheffield and Bolton, as well as Newcastle - are on course to sell out, and all eight wheelchair games at Sheffield's English Institute of Sport arena have already done so.

The men's and women's double-header final at Old Trafford on Saturday, 19 November is also heading for a sell-out, which would make it the highest grossing rugby league match ever held in the northern hemisphere.

The opening women's double-header at Headingley is already guaranteed to be watched by a northern hemisphere record crowd for a women's stand-alone rugby league event.

"What has been particularly encouraging to see is the appetite for tickets across all three tournaments, with our opening fixtures for the men's, women's and wheelchair competitions all selling well," said Hogan.

"At RLWC21, we want to inspire the next generation of rugby league players and fans alike, which is why we have created a ticket pricing strategy that will make the tournament one of the most affordable and family friendly international sports events in history."

A major national television advertising campaign for the tournament is set to start later this month.