Overview

• The 10th Women’s Rugby World Cup runs from 22 August to 27 September across England, with about 375,000 of 470,000 tickets sold and the 82,000‑seat Twickenham final already sold out.
• Top‑ranked England begin against the United States on Friday and enter as clear favorites after a long winning run and a fully professional domestic structure.
• France open against Italy on Saturday without starting scrum‑half Pauline Bourdon‑Sansus, who is serving a two‑match FFR suspension for comments about refereeing.
• Hooker Agathe Guérin returned to the squad after attending the premature birth of her child and has been named among the replacements for the Italy match.
• TF1 and France Télévisions are sharing coverage in favorable time slots, while French officials highlight a professionalism gap—only 32 semi‑pro federal contracts—and target 100,000 female licensees by 2033 through new investment plans.