Rugby World Cup: England exit prompts ticket resale bonanza
Disappointed fans of the tournament hosts are offloading tickets to knock-out stages on the internet after Australia defeat

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Demand for tickets to the knock-out stages of the Rugby World Cup has "plunged" in the wake of England's sorry group stage exit at the weekend, according to resale websites.
With the hosts out of the tournament there has been a rush to sell on tickets to matches that England now have no chance of contesting.
"Fans who had shelled out hundreds of pounds on quarter-final tickets in the hope that England would emerge from a 'pool of death' that included Wales and Australia started to offload them on secondary ticketing sites," reports The Guardian.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Tickets to England's crunch match against Australia were listed on website Viagogo for as much as £60,000 according to the Daily Star, and says that some had actually changed hands for £4,000.
The most outlandishly priced ticket to the World Cup final on the same website comes in at £50,000, while others are available for under £600. Tickets to England's final group game against Uruguay are available for just £30 on the website.
It is relatively good news for non-England fans, but the hosts' departure is a blow for the tournament's sponsors.
"For brands such as O2 which have thrown their marketing muscle behind England, their early exit is nothing short of a disaster," says the Guardian.
TV advertisers will bear the brunt.
"England have been by far the biggest ratings draw for ITV in this World Cup," explains the Daily Mail. "Their first two matches, against Fiji and Wales, drew the biggest audiences by a margin in the first fortnight of the tournament, averaging 8.7m and 10.4m viewers respectively. The next biggest audience was for New Zealand v Argentina at Wembley on September 20 (4.1m viewers) but no other match attracted even 3.5m viewers, with non-England matches averaging 2.1m."
Others are less downbeat. Marketing website The Drum argues that while sponsors will suffer because of the "damaging cost of association", they have "insulated" themselves.
Headphone brand Beats has tie ups with other sides, including France and New Zealand, while O2 took the precaution of concentrating its activity on the tournament build-up rather than the event itself.
Global brands like Heineken will suffer in England, but with Wales, Ireland and Scotland set for the quarter-finals there will be no shortage of demand in those markets.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
6 vibrant homes with art studios
Feature Featuring a six-bedroom home in Vermont and a rustic-modern house in California
By The Week Staff Published
-
Experts are worried about tuberculosis again
Speed Read The deadly disease regained its crown as the world's biggest infectious killer in October 2022
By Devika Rao Published
-
The daily gossip: Beyoncé is bringing the 'Renaissance' tour to movie theaters, Taylor Swift attends another Chiefs game with famous pals, and more
Feature The daily gossip: October 2, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Rugby World Cup 2023: fixtures, winner predictions and odds
In Depth France host the tournament and South Africa are the defending champions
By Mike Starling Published
-
Rugby World Cup 2023: why are England in such disarray?
Talking Point Steve Borthwick’s side begin their campaign against Argentina on Saturday
By The Week Staff Published
-
Future of Commonwealth Games in doubt as Victoria drops out
Speed Read Australian state cites cost concerns in ‘latest sorry chapter’ for the sporting event
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rejuvenated England show spirit, unity and ‘never-say-die courage’
feature Eddie Jones’s new-look side complete autumn Test clean sweep by toppling South Africa
By The Week Staff Published
-
A World Cup every two years - for football and rugby union?
Pros and Cons Governing bodies of both sports are discussing the option of biennial tournaments
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rugby union lawsuits: impact could be ‘astronomical’ for governing bodies
Speed Read RPA says training protocols ‘need addressing very quickly’ over head injuries
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Eddie Jones to lead England at 2023 Rugby World Cup and Barcelona want Neymar-Griezmann deal
Speed Read Ten things from the world of sport on Thursday 2 April
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport shorts: Joe Marler gets ten-week ban for testicle grab and Wales vs. Scotland is off
Daily Briefing Ten things from the world of sport on Friday 13 March
By The Week Staff Published