BBC appointed UK rights holder for Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025

BBC Sport will broadcast live coverage of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup across linear channels, with every match also available to watch live on BBC iPlayer and the Sport website and app, delivering unparalleled coverage of the eight-city, nationwide celebration of women’s rugby, projecting rugby’s biggest stars to more people in the UK than ever before.

Live audio commentary will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra. Fans will be able to listen to 5 Live coverage on BBC Sounds, DAB radio and the BBC Sport website. The exclusive coverage deal means there will also be content across BBC Scotland, BBC Wales and BBC Northern Ireland.

Hosts England are currently the number one ranked team in the world and have already qualified with ‘Red Roses fever’ set to sweep the host nation.

Nine other teams have also already qualified with the remaining six spots set to secure their ticket to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 at WXV later this year.

As part of a transformative deal for women’s rugby, the BBC and World Rugby can also confirm that WXV will also be available on BBC iPlayer, the Sport website and app in the UK, creating a runway of content through to next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup.

World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said: “We are delighted to be partnering with BBC Sport for Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 and WXV. The BBC is a massive champion of women’s rugby and women’s sport more broadly and with their multi-platform, diverse programming approach and regional reach, we look forward to making history together – the biggest, most accessible and record-breaking celebration of women’s rugby ever.”

Director of BBC sport Alex Kay-Jelski added: “Next summer is set to be a huge moment for women’s sport and following coverage of WXV and the Women’s Six Nations Championship on the BBC we’re proud to bring audiences exclusive coverage of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 hosted in England. Big sporting moments have a unique ability to unify bringing people together and never more so when international competitions play out on home soil. And we cannot wait.”

Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 will start on 22 August with hosts England kicking off the competition at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. The tournament’s 10th edition will be hosted across eight nationwide locations with the final at the iconic Twickenham Stadium in London on 27 September 2025.

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