Rugby World Cup Highlights List Of Upcoming Major Sports Events Overseas

Sports fans in America typically love their football, baseball, basketball and hockey, which are widely considered the big four for the entire country. Sports fanatics in other parts of the world are equally as passionate, but their interests are geared toward very different athletic competitions, such as rugby, cricket and boxing. Here’s a look at some of the upcoming sporting contests that will draw big crowds abroad in the coming months, according to international ticket marketplace viagogo.

Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is a tournament that takes place every four years, similarly to the FIFA World Cup for soccer (or football as its internationall known.) It was first held in 1987 when host nation New Zealand won the title by defeating France in the final. This year’s tournament will be hosted by England from September 18 until October 31, and the final will be held at Twickenham Stadium in London.

The 2015 tournament will involve 20 nations competing in pool play over six weeks. The winner and runner-up of each pool enter the knock-out stage, which consists of quarter and semifinals leading up to the finals. The top six teams are Australia, England, Ireland, South Africa, Wales and defending champion New Zealand, who is favored to repeat.

Tickets to each Rugby World Cup match vary depending upon the round of play and the level of competition, according to data provided by international ticket seller viagogo.com. For example, seats to see host nation England take on another top contender, Wales, are listed at $492 currently.  Meanwhile, tickets to the match between lightweights Tonga and Namibia are just $63. Fans who want to attend the tournament final on Saturday, October 31, will have to shell out a whopping $1,762.15 per seat.

England rugby player Joe Marler (R) attends a national rugby team training session at the Pennyhill Park training ground near Bagshot on August 4, 2015 ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2015. England play the first of three warm-up matches against France on August 15, ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2015 in September. AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALL (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

“The Rugby World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the sporting calendar this year and we have already seen excitement beginning to build with a 117% increase in demand on our site in the last week alone,” said a viagogo spokesperson.  “We are also seeing more cross-border demand, with fans from across the globe keen to pack in a world class sports event into their summer travels.”

Cricket

Another sport that is extremely popular abroad is cricket. The 2015 Investec Ashes series is the current series of Test cricket matches being played between Australia and host England. Cardiff, Lord’s, Edgbaston, The Oval, Trent Bridge will host the tournament, which started in June and runs through September 13.

Last year, Michael Clarke’s Aussies won the championship urn by blanking England, 5-0. Prices for tickets to the cricket matches listed on viagogo.com range from $57.80 to $342.12. 

Boxing

Boxing used to be one of the most popular sports in America, but over the years it has lost most of its luster. It still rates big in Europe, however, and Germany will be the site of the world heavyweight title fight between England’s unbeaten Tyson Fury and defending champion Wladimir Klitschko of the Ukraine.

Fury’s 24-0 record will be tested when he gets in the ring with WBA, IBF and WBO champion Klitschko, who has not been defeated in 11 years, at Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf on Saturday, October 24. Ticket prices on Viagogo range from $32.48 for upper tier to $2,217.15 for VIP seats.

A month before Klitschko vs. Fury, Ireland’s Andy Lee will defend his middleweight crown when he takes on Billy Joe Saunders of England. The bout will take place on Saturday, September 19, at Thomond Park in Limerick, which is Lee’s hometown. Ticket prices range from $65.93 to $548.46.

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