Rugby-Ireland women to welcome world champions England to Aviva Stadium for first time


Sep 29, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; A general overall aerial view of Aviva Stadium aka Dublin Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Sept 30 (Reuters) - Ireland's ⁠women's rugby team look set to play in ⁠front of a record-breaking crowd during next year's ‌Six Nations, with the match against world champions England fixed for Dublin's Aviva Stadium, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) said on ​Wednesday.

Ireland played their first standalone fixture ⁠at the ground in ⁠May, when 31,294 supporters -- a record attendance for a ⁠women's rugby ‌match in Ireland -- turned out for a 54-5 win over Scotland which sealed third ⁠place in the Six Nations for the ​hosts.

The arrival of ‌England, fresh from their eighth successive Six Nations ⁠title and ​on a 41-match unbeaten run, is likely to draw an even bigger crowd to the Aviva, which has ⁠a 51,700 capacity.

"Playing at Aviva Stadium ​last season was an incredible and landmark experience for the group and we're really excited to be returning to ⁠the home of Irish Rugby in 2027," captain Erin King said in an IRFU statement.

"To have that record-breaking crowd behind us and feel the support from ​the moment we ran out was ⁠really special."

The fixture is scheduled for May 8. A ​tournament record attendance of 77,120 ‌turned out when England and Ireland ​met at Twickenham in this year's Six Nations.

(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond)

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