Townsville Rugby lovers have scored a huge win, with the city securing the host-rights of four Rugby World Cup matches to be held in 2027.
Townsville and Brisbane will share in hosting 14 games during the six-week Rugby bonanza, with four pool matches to be played at North Queensland (Queensland Country Bank) Stadium and 10 games to be played at Brisbane (Suncorp) Stadium, featuring six pool matches, two round-of-16 games and two quarter finals.
Townsville Councillor and 3-time Olympian Suzy Batkovic said the announcement was fantastic news for the Townsville community, bolstering the city's reputation for hosting world-class sporting events.
"It's no secret Townsville loves our sport and there really is nothing quite like the buzz around an international event, particularly when the Rugby World Cup is the third largest sporting event in the world," Cr Batkovic said.
"We are well versed in hosting world-class sporting events, so to be able to host four Rugby World Cup games here at our stadium in 2027 will be a real hit and not just for our rugby fanatics, but the whole community, from grass-roots athletes to our hospitality providers and everyone in between.
"Rugby fans from all over the world will follow their teams to Townsville and get to experience all the amazing experiences the city and region have to offer."
Minister for Sport Tim Mander said the announcement was a major coup for Queensland.
"Queensland has secured nearly a third of the matches for the Men's Rugby World Cup," Minister Mander said.
"The tournament is more than just a competition, it's a global celebration.
"We expect that the Rugby World Cup will encourage Queenslanders to be more active, boosting participation in sport and leaving a lasting legacy.
"Having the world's best players competing in both South East Queensland and in North Queensland also provides a rare opportunity for local kids to see their heroes in action."
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said securing the event was a major win for Queensland tourism.
"Queensland will be front-and-centre of the action come 2027 and it's exciting to know North Queensland fans will also have the opportunity to watch world-class rugby in Townsville during the tournament," Minister Powell said.
"The tournament is set to generate more than $212 million in visitor spend for the state's economy and put the eyes of the world on Queensland less than five years before the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games transform our state forever."
Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith said securing an event of this scale was a huge boost and will put Townsville again on the global sporting stage with billions of viewers following the Rugby World Cup.
"We will host many nations right here in our beautiful city with our community able to join the celebration in the specially designed Rugby World Cup Village," Ms Brumme-Smith said.
"It's an absolute honour to be one of only two host cities in Queensland and we know our community will make the teams feel welcome.
"An event of this scale is expected to generate millions in economic impact for Townsville North Queensland, and will truly place Townsville on the global stage thanks to the international broadcast opportunities.
"This city has grown a profile in being able to deliver world-class events, and this series of rugby matches will be no different with activations planned right across the region."
Councillor Batkovic said the announcement was proof having world-class infrastructure enabled Townsville to attract top-tier events, off the back of her recent calls for funding for Brisbane 2032 legacy infrastructure.
"I've always said, 'if you can see it, you can be it' and there's no better way of getting our kids to set their sights on what's possible than by hosting the world's most elite athletes in their chosen game in events like the Rugby World Cup," Cr Batkovic said.
"With further investment into facilities like our stadium hopefully on the cards in the years to come, we could, and rather should be hosting more and more world-class sporting events in the lead up to and post the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
"We've hosted several major rugby events in recent years and are set to see the Wallabies take on Argentina here in September, so I'm excited to see our rugby community continue to grow along with more major events for Townsville as we work alongside Tourism and Events Queensland and Townsville Enterprise."
The Rugby World Cup 2027 will be played in five Australian states from 1 October to 13 November 2027, with the competition organised in six pool groups of four teams and a round-of-16 phase added to the knock-out rounds.
Townsville & District Rugby Union's Director of Rugby. Daniel Withers said his experience as a teenager in 2003 when Townsville hosted Japan, opened his eyes to Rugby Union as a world-game.
"Having world-class rugby in my town was a special moment for me and really sold the global aspect of rugby to me as a junior player, that experience has seen me as a fan travel to various World Cups, so to have that opportunity here in Townsville is really special," Mr Withers said.
"We have a famous sense of hospitality in North Queensland, we adopt teams like we did with Japan in 2003, so to be able to do that again in 2027 will be a great opportunity.
"It's not just the events themselves, but it's the training and the camps that lead up to them and then the legacy that's left after, we're talking about the third biggest sporting event in the world, here in Townsville."
