The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup is officially in the books, and it was a tournament that delivered on all fronts. England finished a dominant season as World Champions, New Zealand took home a historic bronze, and Canada proved they are among the world’s elite with a well-deserved silver medal.
The final weekend was a fitting end to the tournament, featuring two highly entertaining matches. In the Bronze Final, the Black Ferns secured their first-ever bronze medal with a 42-26 win over France. Despite a strong start from France, New Zealand was led by another stellar performance from teenager Braxton Sorensen-McGee, who scored two tries and was later named Breakthrough Player of the Year. The match was a wide-open affair with both teams eager to attack, making for a thrilling, back and forth contest that had fans on the edge of their seats.
In the final, a brilliant England squad capped off an undefeated season with a decisive 33-13 victory over Canada. The match was a physical and intense battle, with England’s forward pack, led by two-try scorer Alex Matthews, proving to be a dominant force. While Canada fought hard and scored a couple of impressive tries through their backs, the Red Roses’ relentless pressure and structured play were too much to overcome. Player of the Match Sadia Kabeya was immense on both sides of the ball, helping England to secure their third World Cup title.
Beyond the podium, the final rankings of the teams are as follows:
- Gold: England
- Silver: Canada
- Bronze: New Zealand
- 4th: France
- 5th: Ireland
- 6th: Scotland
- 7th: USA
- 8th: Wales
- 9th: Japan
- 10th: Fiji
- 11th: Italy
- 12th: Spain
This tournament was a commercial and cultural success, shattering previous records and proving the immense growth potential of women’s rugby. On the field, the success was mirrored in the stands, with the final match drawing a world-record crowd of 81,885. This contributed to a total tournament attendance of 444,465, tripling the sales of the last World Cup, and achieving an incredible 92% average stadium capacity across all venues.
The record-breaking numbers weren’t just in the stands; they were also in the living rooms of millions. A peak audience of 5.8 million tuned into the BBC to watch the final, making it not just the most-watched women’s rugby union match of all time in the UK, but the most-watched rugby match of the year, across both women’s and men’s games. The tournament reached a total TV audience of 12 million people, with an impressive 56.13 million total UK viewing hours on the BBC—a staggering 545% increase over the previous World Cup.
The players’ star power was on full display, generating over 219 million views on their social media accounts. This visibility, combined with the tournament’s success, translated directly into strong returns for brand partners. Mastercard experienced a 45% uplift in online engagement, while Emirates and Mitsubishi Electric saw even greater uplifts of 50% and 60% respectively.
Most importantly, the tournament was a monumental win for the sport’s future. An impressive 50% of the fans who attended had never been to a women’s rugby match before, and an incredible 95% of them said they plan to return for another game. This World Cup was a resounding success, signaling a new era of growth and popularity and demonstrating that the future of women’s rugby is brighter than ever.
