Exeter sees massive £31.7m boost from Women's Rugby World Cup matches

A summer of world-class rugby at Sandy Park brought nearly 60,000 fans to Exeter and pumped more than £30 million into the local economy, a new impact report has revealed.

The city also hosted a high-profile quarter-final in September 2025, drawing thousands of additional supporters for one of the standout matches of the tournament.

Figures released by World Rugby show that matches staged at Sandy Park attracted a combined attendance of 58,700 spectators, contributing an estimated £31.7 million to Exeter’s economy.

Among the fixtures hosted in the city was a quarter-final clash in September 2025, which drew large crowds to Sandy Park and was widely seen as one of the standout matches of the knockout stages. 

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The game brought an influx of supporters into Exeter, with hotels, restaurants and bars reporting strong trade across the weekend.

Exeter was one of eight official host cities for the tournament, which organisers say was the most successful in the competition’s history. 

Across England, 444,465 tickets were sold - more than triple the attendance of the previous edition - with 92 per cent of tickets purchased. 

The final at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham attracted a record 81,885 fans, setting a new world record for attendance at a women’s rugby match.

The Exeter impact report estimates that national and international media coverage linked to the tournament delivered £7.2 million in destination value for the city, reflecting the global exposure generated by hosting fixtures at Sandy Park.

Councillor Duncan Wood, Exeter City Council’s Lead Councillor for Leisure and Healthy Living, said the findings demonstrated the scale of the benefits for the city. 

He said the tournament had provided a global showcase for Exeter while encouraging greater participation in sport, particularly among women and girls.

Tony Rowe CBE, chairman and chief executive of Exeter Chiefs, said the club was proud to have hosted Women’s Rugby World Cup fixtures, including the September quarter-final. 

He said the club had already seen increased attendances at Exeter Chiefs Women’s matches since the tournament and hoped that interest in the women’s game would continue to grow.

Across all host cities, the tournament generated £294.7 million in economic impact, with more than 80 per cent of that benefit realised outside London. 

Broadcast coverage produced 147 million viewing hours worldwide - a 336 per cent increase on 2021 - while social media activity generated more than one billion impressions.

Organisers also highlighted wider social impact. 

Ninety-six per cent of spectators described the event as inspiring, while 75 per cent of girls and women aged 13 to 25 said they felt more motivated to be active after engaging with the competition. 

Of the 44 per cent of attendees who were new to women’s rugby, 94 per cent said they intended to follow the sport in future.

For Exeter, the figures underline the significance of staging a Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final and other tournament fixtures at Sandy Park, delivering both an immediate economic uplift and longer-term profile benefits as the city continues to attract major sporting events.