Source : ABC NEWS
Rugby supporters around the world are furious about long waits and system crashes while trying to secure tickets for the 2027 Men’s World Cup in Australia.
Yesterday, the latest round of “pre-sale” tickets went online at midday for fans who had pre-registered with ticketing agency Ticketmaster.
But fans from Australia and overseas have bombarded social media with reports of having to wait for hours to buy tickets and of the Ticketmaster website crashing.
Rugby in Australia is banking on a bumper World Cup tournament next year. (AAP: Dave Hunt)
Fans in the UK and Europe who logged on in the early hours of the morning complained of waiting up to six hours to get to the front of the queue before the system crashed or they were told their access was blocked.
“We’re seeing extremely high demand for #RWC2027 tickets right now,” the World Cup organisers posted on X.
“A queue system is in place to allow a fair and secure purchasing experience for all.
“Thank you for your patience.”
Brisbane resident and lifelong Wallabies fan Greg O’Connor said he went online to buy tickets yesterday morning before the sale went “live”.
Six hours later, he had endured two website error messages and had failed to buy any tickets.
(Supplied)
“The first session I was on for two hours, and then I got dumped,” O’Connor said.
“I got a message that said, ‘We are sorry your access has been restricted.’
“I went through the process again and that session lasted three-and-a-half hours.
“I got through to the ticketing page, but when I clicked the ‘Buy Tickets’ button, it went to a message, which was ‘this page isn’t working’.
O’Connor said at that stage, he gave up.
“I fully expected that there could be waits, but I wouldn’t have expected two crashes,” he said.
Over 2.5 million tickets are avaliable for the World Cup’s 52 matches. (Getty Images: Mark Evans)
“I’m disappointed, but that’s the s*** that happens. I heard from a number of other people that my experience wasn’t unique.”
Lorraine Harris from Wollongong said she spent 10 hours unsuccessfully trying to buy tickets.
“I’m really jacked off, big time,” she said.
“That was 10 hours of hell.”
The World Cup will run from October to November next year in seven Australian host cities, with the final set for Sydney’s Stadium Australia.
The competition will be made up of 24 teams competing in six pools before a knockout section.
World Cup organisers say 2.5 million tickets are available for the competition’s 52 matches.
Responding to questions from ABC Sport, World Cup organisers sent a statement.
“The system is performing as intended during the pre-sale,” the organisers said.
“It is designed to manage the high volumes of interest we typically see for Rugby World Cup, which can mean long wait times for some fans.
“Robust verification measures are in place to protect the integrity of the tournament and ensure tickets are secured by genuine fans.
“Maintaining secure access remains our priority.”
The pre-sale period runs until March 4.
Another tranche of tickets will be released in the May “application” phase, which may be run as a ballot process if demand exceeds supply.
ABC Sport approached Ticketmaster for comment.
