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Rugby World Cup converts ticketing target

Organisers of the Rugby World Cup in Japan said it has hit its target of shifting more than 1.8 million tickets, with packed stadiums for most games.

The tournament, which kicked off on September 20 and will end in November, now has a “limited” number of tickets remaining after sponsors and national federations handed back unused passes.

World Rugby chief Bill Beaumont said the tournament had “captured the hearts and minds of a nation and the global rugby family” and congratulated the Japanese organisers for hitting their milestone.

However, there have been “inevitable incidents related to ticket scams, touts selling fake tickets and third-party websites selling tickets unofficially.”

Last week, the organisers warned fans that they will be denied stadium entry if tickets have been purchased through unofficial channels.

The event, which just completed its first week of competition, said the number of incidences are “relatively small” but “likely to increase” as the tournament goes on, with remaining pool matches set to determine which teams go through to the knock-out stages.

The Rugby World Cup’s stance has led resale ticketing firm Viagogo to call the tournament’s resale policy “unfair and disingenuous” after it was found to be listing tickets against the tournament’s rules.

Organisers of the Japan event have listed Viagogo as an “unauthorised entity,” along with StubHub, SeatGeek, LiveRugbyTickets.co.uk and Rugby Ticket Service. The official Rugby World Cup website states that no tickets bought through Viagogo and other websites “shall be deemed valid or usable under any circumstances.”

Image: RWC 2019