Organisers expect up to one million visitors to the fanzones, which will be located in all 13 host cities for the first time as well as in Rugby, birthplace of the game, and the iconic Trafalgar Square in London.

They will be free to enter and will include entertainment, food and drink, as well as big screens showing live matches.

The Webb Ellis Cup Trophy Tour, meanwhile, is scheduled to begin on June 10 to mark 100 days to go until the tournament begins and is set to visit Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, arriving at Twickenham Stadium for the beginning of the competition.

"Rugby World Cup 2015 is a tournament that will have the fans and teams at heart and we are excited about the unprecedented opportunity that the Trophy Tour and fanzones will provide for fans to really engage with the tournament no matter where they are," World Rugby chairman Bernard Lapasset said.

"With six months to go until England 2015 kicks off, World Rugby is confident of a very special and record-breaking celebration of rugby that will inspire new fans and participants around the world."

England Rugby 2015 have unveiled the 15 locations of their Official Fanzones for the Rugby World Cup ©England Rugby 2015



The Trafalgar Square Fanzone will be open from the weekend of the semi-finals until the final and will also play host to grassroots and community events, while the others are located in places ranging from match venue spaces to iconic town centres, city parks and beach spaces.

The Rugby World Cup has already been paraded across the globe with the International Trophy Tour, which has visited 12 countries so far and it is still due to travel to Canada and Germany in April before arriving in France in May.

"The countdown to Rugby World Cup 2015 is on and fans can now really begin to plan their Tournament experience, be it through watching the matches, through Fanzones, the Festival of Rugby and the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour," England Rugby 2015 chief executive Debbie Jevans said.

"We are pleased to deliver another tournament first with an official fanzone in every host city and capacities will range from 2,000 to over 10,000."

The Rugby World Cup trophy will embark on a 100-day tour around Great Britain before arriving at Twickenham on September 18 ©Rugby World Cup/Twitter



Jevans added: "We would like to thank all of our host cities, local authorities and the Mayor of London for their fantastic support and we look forward to welcoming upwards of one million people to the official fanzones.

"The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will be the perfect opportunity to excite and engage fans across the UK and Ireland and make 2015 feel like the year of the rugby nation."

The Rugby World Cup in England is due to begin on September 18 and conclude with the final on at Twickenham Stadium on October 31.

You can view the Fanzone locations and opening dates by clicking here. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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