England's Red Roses launch their highly anticipated home World Cup campaign on Friday night as overwhelming favourites to reclaim the title they last won 11 years ago. The tournament opener against the United States kicks off at 7:30pm at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, with over 43,000 tickets sold according to The Guardian, exceeding the 42,579 attendance at the 2022 World Cup final.
John Mitchell's side completed a fourth straight Six Nations Grand Slam in April and enter the tournament on a 27-match unbeaten run, as The Guardian reports. The coach expressed confidence ahead of the opener: "We believe this is a squad that can win the World Cup."
England face a challenging Pool A draw alongside the United States, Samoa, and Australia. The Red Roses were beaten finalists in five of the last six World Cups, with their sole victory coming against Canada in 2014, sandwiched between five defeats to New Zealand.
Tournament structure and broadcast
Should England top their group, they could face Scotland, Wales, or Canada in the quarter-finals, with a potential semi-final clash against France. Les Bleus were unbeaten before losing to England by one point in this year's Six Nations finale at Twickenham.
The BBC holds exclusive UK broadcast rights, with select matches on terrestrial television and all games available via BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website. Live commentary will be provided throughout via BBC Radio Five Live.
Record-breaking interest
The tournament has generated unprecedented interest, with The Independent reporting over 400,000 expected total attendance and a 600% spike in train ticket sales to Sunderland. The final on September 27 at Twickenham has already sold out its 82,000 capacity.
England's remaining pool fixtures see them face Samoa on August 30 at 5:00pm in Northampton, followed by Australia on September 6 at 5:00pm in Brighton. The tournament format ensures England only needs to reach the semi-finals to guarantee a Twickenham appearance, according to City A.M.
Sources used: "The Standard", "The Guardian", "Independent", "City A.M" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
