Sydney set to host 2027 Rugby World Cup final, Victoria to be shut-out entirely after politics derail bid

The MCG has missed out on hosting rights for the playoff matches in the 2027 Rugby World Cup following a futile protest from the state government, leading to a total shut-out from the tournament and a big win for Sydney.

Wallabies captain John Eales with William (Bill) Webb Ellis World Cup trophy during ticker-tape parade in Queen Street Mall in Brisbane, 18/11/99. Pic Bruce Long.

Sydney’s Olympic stadium will host the 2027 Rugby World Cup final after a rival bid to play the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was derailed by petty state politics.

While a formal announcement won’t be made until the end of January, highly-placed sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told this masthead Sydney’s 82,000 seat Accor Stadium will be awarded the final and both semi-finals.

As well as blowing its chances of landing the most lucrative playoff matches, Victoria has been completely shut-out of the entire tournament after the state government withdrew its bid in a futile protest at the decision to cut the Rebels from Super Rugby, something which World Rugby had no involvement in.

One insider, familiar with the protracted negotiations, said former Victorian politicians had been “playing games” with organisers without ever “putting a number on the table.”

Victoria’s shock exclusion from the third biggest sporting event on the planet, outside the Olympics and FIFA World Cup, will not only cost the state a fortune in lost tourism dollars.

It will also further erode Victoria’s flimsy claim to being the sporting capital of the world following the reneged promise to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground lost out to Sydney’s Olympic stadium as the host venue for the 2027 Rugby World Cup

Privately, MCG officials are furious at the latest backflip, and have lobbied Jacinta Allan’s Labor government to quit with the political grandstanding and stump up some cash and re-enter negotiations with World Rugby in the hope the iconic coliseum can still play a part in the mega event.

“Victoria continues to secure internationally exclusive major events – giving locals and visitors unparalleled opportunities to experience some of the best sporting and music experiences Australia has to offer,” a Victorian Government spokesperson said.

“What other state has the Boxing Day Test, an international grand slam, a grand prix and the AFL Grand Final – and that’s just sport!

“We talk to all sorts of license holders and our conversations are commercial in confidence.”

Broadcast to an expected global television audience in the hundreds of millions, New South Wales business and tourism bosses have pulled off a massive coup with the final to proceed at Homebush on November 13, 2027, almost 24 years to the day after the 2003 decider was played at the same sprawling cauldron.

England’s Jonny Wilkinson kicked the winning drop kick goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final against Australia at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney.

John O’Neill, the former RA chief executive who oversaw the 2003 RWC Cup, said Sydney would be the perfect choice for a game of international magnitude.

“I’m not suggesting that Melbourne isn’t a sensational sports destination for a moment but in reality, for the Rugby World Cup, it’s not a natural fit,” O’Neill told this masthead.

“History and tribalism indelibly promotes Sydney as an event and rugby mecca so it’s overwhelmingly compelling.”

While the 2003 tournament was a monumental success for Australian rugby, the final ended in heartbreak for the Wallabies, with England lifting the Webb Ellis Cup after Jonny Wilkinson sealed victory for the Poms with a drop goal in extra time.

As well as getting the 2027 final and semis, to be played on November 5 and 6, it can be revealed Sydney will also secure the third-place playoff.

But in a major change from 2003, NSW is not expected to land the opening match, scheduled for Oct 1, two days before the NRL grand final and exactly 1,000 days from now.

Perth’s Optus Stadium is a frontrunner for the opening match.

While still to be confirmed, Perth’s 65,000 Optus Stadium has emerged as the surprise frontrunner for the tournament’s first match, which is certain to involve the Wallabies.

Brisbane’s 52,000 seater Suncorp Stadium failed to make the shortlist for the biggest games because it’s considered too small, an ongoing sore point for Queenslanders campaigning for bigger sporting arenas ahead of the Olympics.

Sources said Suncorp will be chosen as one of the quarterfinal hosts.

Adelaide, Townsville and Newcastle have secured significant pool matches, while Sydney will be the only city with a second venue with Allianz Stadium also making the list.

First held in 1987, the 2027 RWC will be the 11th edition of the tournament, and by far the biggest after World Rugby agreed to increase the number of competing countries from 20 to 24.

While the tournament will be shortened by a week, from seven to six, there will be more matches in total (52), with teams split into six pools of four teams, followed by a newly added round-of-16 then the quarters, semis and final.

Suncorp Stadium will be chosen as one of the quarterfinal hosts.

Sydney will become just the fourth metropolis to host multiple RWC finals, joining Auckland (1987, 2011), London (1991, 2015) and Paris (2007, 2023).

While the harbour city was always regarded as the sentimental favourite, Melbourne had loomed as an appealing alternative because the MCG boasts 18,000 more seats.

With tickets for the 2023 final in Paris selling for as much as $1,500 and semi-final seats going for $900, that would have delivered an estimated $40 million more to the coffers of World Rugby, who are partnering with Rugby Australia in running the tournament.

Australian rugby fans are among the most loyal in all sport

Under the terms of their agreement, RA will receive a guaranteed hosting fee of $100 million, money that will ensure the survival of the code in this country, but with any additional profits will go to World Rugby.

Now under the chairmanship of former Wallaby Brett Robinson, the sport’s global governing body could easily have been tempted to chase the bigger bucks, but O’Neill, a past CEO of Tourism NSW, said deciding the best locations to leave a meaningful legacy shouldn’t only be about the bottom line.

“It’s desperately important to get the balance right between spreading the gospel and making money,” O’Neill said.

“The truth of the matter is you really generate significant money out of nine games, the opening game, the quarters, the semis, the playoff and the final. What we managed to do in ‘03 was to spread the games nationally but then create a crescendo where domestic and international fans descended on Sydney for a two week festival of rugby.

“It goes beyond the 83,000 people you actually get in the stadium; the tournament runs for a long six weeks, so just as fatigue might set in, you have tens of thousands of people converging in one city for the last two weeks. And that one city has to be in rugby heartland.”

Originally published as Sydney set to host 2027 Rugby World Cup final, Victoria to be shut-out entirely after politics derail bid