Overview

• England begin their campaign against the United States on Friday at 7:30pm BST at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, retaining the XV that beat France as Zoe Aldcroft captains and Emily Scarratt features on the bench.
• USA head coach Sione Fukofuka names 11 World Cup debutants, with Ilona Maher partnering Alev Kelter in the centres and veteran prop Hope Rogers starting in the front row.
• Organisers say around 40,000 tickets have been sold for the opener, setting a record for a Women’s Rugby World Cup opening match.
• All 32 matches will be shown live on the BBC’s free-to-air platforms, with selected fixtures on BBC One and BBC Two alongside full streaming on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport site/app.
• Tournament interest continues to surge with more than 375,000 tickets sold and the Twickenham final reported sold out, even as funding gaps persist for contenders such as Canada, which reports reaching 95% of a $1 million World Cup fundraising target.