Overview

• Kick-off for the opener is 7.30pm BST at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, launching a five‑week, 16‑team tournament across eight English venues.
• England name an unchanged starting XV under head coach John Mitchell, with Zoe Harrison at fly-half and Ellie Kildunne at full-back; Emily Scarratt is listed among the replacements.
• The United States start high‑profile outside centre Ilona Maher in an experienced lineup drawn heavily from Premiership Women’s Rugby.
• Organisers report more than 375,000 tickets sold across the event, with 43,000+ seats taken for the opening match to set a new Women’s World Cup game benchmark.
• Broadcasts include BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, Paramount+ in the US, Stan Sport in Australia and Sky Sport NZ, with the final scheduled for 27 September at Twickenham.