Stadia for the 2019 World Cup in Japan

psychic duck · Feb 27, 2012

Here is a list of the venues being used for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, note there are also matches taking place in Hong Kong and Singapore as well as Japan, however neither Hong Kong (IRB ranked 26th) or Singapore (IRB ranked 52nd) have an automatic qualification spot

Chichibunomya Stadium
City: Tokyo
Capacity: 27,000
Track: No
Home to: Suntory Sungoliath, Toshiba Brave Lupus, Ricoh Black Rams and the Japan national team (rugby)
Notes: A specialist rugby stadium, and HQ of Japanese rugby, named after Prince Chichibu who has his statue in the stadium, the oldest stadium being used built in 1947 and has always been a rugby stadium

Nissan Stadium
City: Yokohama
Capacity: 72,000
Track: Yes
Home to: Yokohama F. Marinos (football)
Notes: Highest capacity stadium of any in Japan, hosts the FIFA Club World Cup every year

National Olympic Stadium
City: Tokyo
Capacity: 57,000 (9,000 standing)
Track: Yes
Home to: nobody, just one off matches
Notes: Made for the 1968 Tokyo Olympics

Capacity: 20,000
Track: No
Home to: Velgata SendaÃ¯, Sony Sendai F.C. (football)
Notes: Stands are purposely built very close to the pitch, was damaged in the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami

Home's Stadium Kobe
City: Kobe
Capacity: 30,000
Track: No
Home to: Kobelco Steelers (rugby), Vissel Kobe (football)
Notes: Built for the 2002 football World Cup, nicknamed the "Kobe Wing Stadium", and it has a retractable roof

Level 5 Stadium
City: Fukuoka
Capacity: 22,000
Track: No
Home to: Avispa Fukuoka (football)
Notes: The most boring name for an international stadium?

Sapporo Dome
City: Sapporo
Capacity: 41,000
Track: No
Home to: Consadole Sapporo (football), Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (baseball)
Notes: Built for the 2002 Football World Cup, a versatile stadium with retractable turf and even once hosted cross country skiing

Nagai Stadium
City: Osaka
Capacity: 50,000
Track: Yes
Home to: Cerezo Osaka (football)
Notes: Hosted the 2007 Athletics World Championships

Toyota Stadium
City: Toyota
Capacity: 45,000
Track: No
Home to: Toyota Verblitz (rugby), Nagoya Crampus (football)
Notes: Has a retractable roof

Hong Kong Stadium
City: Hong Kong
Capacity: 40,000
Home to: Hong Kong national team, South China AA (football)
Notes: Hosts Hong Kong sevens, and has hosted a Bledisloe Cup match in 2008, Alex Ferguson once criticised the pitch in 1997 for cutting up

New Singapore National Stadium (in construction, scheduled to open in April 2014, above image an artists impression)
City: Singapore
Capacity: 55,000
Home to: Singapore national team (football)
Notes: Will have a retractable roof

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welshglory

First XV

TRF Legend

Feb 27, 2012

#2

The latest news i heard was there aren't going to be any games in Hong Kong or Singapore.

Also Tokyo stadium is going to be upgraded to 80,000+

M

Melhor Time

Bench Player

Feb 27, 2012

#3

Some say HK and Singapore wonÂ´t host but Japan has denied this.

The stadiums are impressive. The only flaw being what Psychic Duck points out - Hong Kong and Singapore wonÂ´t be playing in the World Cup. A pre-requisite to hosting is being in the event!

monkeypigeon

Bench Player

Feb 27, 2012

#4

That's not the only flaw. The three stadiums with running tracks will be like graveyards if they're not filled, not to mention the fact that kickers generally don't like pitches with tracks.

Robert Prosser

Academy Player

Feb 27, 2012

#5

I dont think they should use the grounds with the running tracks they dont have a great atmosphere when there is football held there let alone rugby, must say though the sapporo dome in beautiful.

H

Hinato

Academy Player

Feb 27, 2012

#6

Sapporo Dome you can see football as early as March, as the club Sapporo is mounted in J-League (first division).

Me 1

Bench Player

Feb 27, 2012

#7

I quite like the Kobe, Sapporo and Toyota stadiums, but that's about it. The Hong Kong one's good too, but they really shouldn't be hosting.

munster4life

Academy Player

Feb 27, 2012

#8

The Sapporo Dome architecturally looks strange, the Toyota stadium looks class and unless they fill the stadiums with athletic tracks there will be no atmosphere at all. I've been to a fair few football matches in stadiums that have running tracks and when it isn't full its terrible. They tend to space people out, and you feel like you're miles away from the action. Also, some kickers use reference points in the crowd when they're kicking so that will upset some of them. Having stadiums in countries that aren't qualified automatically is bad as well.

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welshglory

First XV

TRF Legend

Feb 28, 2012

#9

Hong Kong stadium is terribly designed. Trust me i go to the sevens there every year.
But i don't think it would be so bad to play games there and in Singapore. The Japan bid was sold as an asian world cup after all.

Thinking about it... Since Japan is host does that mean they get automatic qualification? If so Hong Kong has a very good chance. For the 2011 world cup they narrowly missed out on going to the play off stages of qualification to Kazakhstan because they came 3rd in the Asian 5 Nations in 2009. In 2010 they came 2nd. So if they were to come second, whenever the next qualification round is (2013?) then they could qualify.

Prestwick

Airhornsman

TRF Legend

Mar 13, 2012

#10

The problem is that they haven't got a choice when it comes to stadiums. In a country where Baseball is king and the J-League is only just really getting itself established there is a lack of dedicated facilities which sucks but such is life.

Nielsch

Bench Player

Jul 8, 2012

#11

I can somehow see why Hong Kong is included (with the 7s held there being extremely popular), but what the hell is Singapore doing here? That distance is huge; like organizing a World Cup in France with having a couple of matches played in Saudi Arabia.

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welshglory

First XV

TRF Legend

Jul 9, 2012

#12

Probably because it's the other East Asian city with a considerable expat community/influence. They couldn't hold it in Korea for instance and i'm pretty sure they would never want to hold it in China!

TRF_Ezequiel

Kanko Krazy!!!

TRF Legend

Jul 9, 2012

#13

Well, last year's World Cup was only the second time in history it was played in just 1 country (1995 being the first). Even in 2007 some matches were played across the ditch.

If Japan wants to host some matches in Singapore and Hong Kong due to the number of expats there it does make sense.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

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kovana

Bench Player

Jul 11, 2012

#14

Interesting times when 2019 Rolls up... Since Japan are hosts.. They get Automatic Qualification... And that leaves The Asian Place open! Korea is actually ranked higher than HK.. They are 25th while HK are 27th. Also, Hopefully by that time its a 24 team tournament.. 6 pools of 4 teams.. With a Top 16 Knockout round.

Feicarsinn

Super Αdmin

TRF Legend

Jul 11, 2012

#15

kovana said:
Interesting times when 2019 Rolls up... Since Japan are hosts.. They get Automatic Qualification... And that leaves The Asian Place open! Korea is actually ranked higher than HK.. They are 25th while HK are 27th. Also, Hopefully by that time its a 24 team tournament.. 6 pools of 4 teams.. With a Top 16 Knockout round.

I can't see how a 24 tournament team would be beneficial for anyone. Just more non competitive matches. Aside from the top 13 (6 Nations, Rugby Championship, Pacific Islanders) there are probably about 4 teams that can be in some way competitive. That'd be Japan, Georgia, Canada and Spain. Russia, Romania and the States wouldn't be a million miles of that lot. I'd much rather a 16 team tournament than a 24 team one. 20 is a good number.

Anyway, I'd be worried about the other Asian team if there is to be one. The like of Hong Kong and South Korea are light years away from even Japan, imagine them haing to play the All Blacks. I'd imagine that the IRB will give the other spot to either South America or throw it up for repechage. Chile, Uruguay or another one of the European sides would be far more competitive than another Asian side, and they'd still be like to be obliterated!

Kiwiwomble

International

TRF Legend

Jul 11, 2012

#16

TRF_Ezequiel said:
Well, last year's World Cup was only the second time in history it was played in just 1 country (1995 being the first). Even in 2007 some matches were played across the ditch.

If Japan wants to host some matches in Singapore and Hong Kong due to the number of expats there it does make sense.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

how about 2003?

K

kovana

Bench Player

Jul 11, 2012

#17

@ FeiCar.

I think a 24 Team format would be hugely beneficial for Rugby and especially Japan as Hosts.

At the moment with the 20 team format you have 48 matches... And also with the Odd number of 5 teams per pool, it will lead to irregular and unfair playing schedules for the smaller nations.. as seen in the 2007 and 2011 RWCs. If they have 4 teams per pool, even numbers mean that matches will be fairly scheduled.

With the 24 team with 4 teams per pool.. You get 36 pool matches...

And say the top 2 from each pool PLUS the next best 4 teams go into a Top 16 Knock out round... Together with Finals.. You will get a total of 52 matches.

The reason why i suggest this.. Is with the Top 2 from each Pool PLUS the next 4 teams... Japan has a chance of making the Knockout rounds.. Which is essential for Maintaining interest in the Host country IMO.

Also.. Its 7 years away.. Who knows how much the Rugby scene would have changed.

Feicarsinn

Super Αdmin

TRF Legend

Jul 11, 2012

#18

kovana said:
@ FeiCar.

I think a 24 Team format would be hugely beneficial for Rugby and especially Japan as Hosts.

At the moment with the 20 team format you have 48 matches... And also with the Odd number of 5 teams per pool, it will lead to irregular and unfair playing schedules for the smaller nations.. as seen in the 2007 and 2011 RWCs. If they have 4 teams per pool, even numbers mean that matches will be fairly scheduled.

With the 24 team with 4 teams per pool.. You get 36 pool matches...

And say the top 2 from each pool PLUS the next best 4 teams go into a Top 16 Knock out round... Together with Finals.. You will get a total of 52 matches.

The reason why i suggest this.. Is with the Top 2 from each Pool PLUS the next 4 teams... Japan has a chance of making the Knockout rounds.. Which is essential for Maintaining interest in the Host country IMO.

Also.. Its 7 years away.. Who knows how much the Rugby scene would have changed.

I can understand where you're coming from, but I just don't think there are 24 teams who are up to playing in a World Cup. In the current format with 20 teams we still see the likes of Russia and Namibia getting huge hidings every tournament. I think a 24 team tournament would inevitably lead to fewer competitive games which couldn't do the tournament any good.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I reckon that the ideal number of teams for the RWC is 16. You get lots of competitive games, while still leaving some room for tier 2 nations to compete. 20 is a good number though, and I'm happy with the current tournament format.

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kovana

Bench Player

Jul 11, 2012

#19

@Fei

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I reckon that the ideal number of teams for the RWC is 16. You get lots of competitive games, while still leaving some room for tier 2 nations to compete. 20 is a good number though, and I'm happy with the current tournament format.

Again, i dont want 20 teams because it leads to the 5 team per pools.. Which is the cause of all the unfair schedules.

As for Russia and Namibia....

2011 was Russias FIRST Tournament.. and they had to play back to back test matches against 6N and 3N opponents.. With only 4 day turnarounds.
Namibia has always been... Baddish.. But the fact also remains they had to play Fiji.... then Samoa with only 3 days rest.... Then Played South Africa and then Wales... Again with only 3 days rest.

Outside the Current 20 teams from the RWC 2011.. Other teams that missed out were Spain, Uruguay, Portugal and Korea (the next highest Asian team after Japan ranked 25th).