The Rugby World Cup is on track to sell out, with England Rugby 2015 chairman Andy Cosslett confident that by the time the tournament kicks off on September 18th every ticket will have been bought.
The All Blacks captain Richie McCaw holds the Rugby World Cup. (The Webb Ellis Trophy). Photo: PHOTOSPORT
An additional 100,000 seats have been made available this week - including for England games and the knockout stages - following adjustments to the configurations for the 13 match venues.
The total number of tickets available has risen to 2.45 million and Cosslett believes they will all be sold.
He says they're working hard for there to be no empty seats and they expect to pretty much achieve that, on the basis of the sales they've seen so far, they expect there to be a full house for every match.
Cosslett says there may be the odd day of uncertainty as they get closer to the tournament, but he thinks it'll be a full tournament.
The ninth instalment of the World Cup is shaping up to be the biggest in every respect - ticket sales, venues, viewing figures - but Cosslett insists delivering a memorable event would trump size.
Twickenham rugby stadium in London. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
He says they're trying to make it the best, the biggest tag is nice to have alongside your name, but the most important thing is that it's the best.
He says the way they define that is the tournament that delivers the biggest impact for rugby and they'll do that by putting on the best show we've ever seen. Full stadiums are clearly a part of that.
England have been drawn in a fiendishly difficult pool alongside Australia and Wales and will have done well merely by progressing from the group.
The All Blacks play Argentina in London on September 21st, Namibia in London on September 25th, Georgia in Cardiff on October 3rd and Tonga in Newcastle on October 10th.