RWC: Auckland stadiums likely to be at capacity

Cup ticket sales for Eden Park and North Harbour are tracking at 80 per cent. Photo / Doug Sherring

Rugby World Cup matches in Auckland are heading for capacity crowds, with more than 600,000 tickets sold - 240,000 of them to visitors from outside the city.

Tournament organisers said that 80 per cent of the tickets to Auckland's 15 World Cup matches had been booked. Just 4000 tickets are left to the opening night match between the All Blacks and Tonga at Eden Park next Friday. Ground capacity will be around 59,000 for the tournament - depending on the game.

"It's great - and it's still going to keep going," said tournament boss Martin Snedden. "When you get that crowd above 50,000 it's a pretty special atmosphere."

Most of the Eden Park matches were likely to sell out, he said.

"Overseas supporters are generally a lot more vocal than New Zealanders, so I imagine there will be a fair bit of noise in the stadiums."

Nationally, ticket sales have hit $242.2 million, 10 times the figure generated from the British and Irish Lions tour in 2005. New Zealand-France, South Africa-Samoa at North Harbour Stadium and the finals have no tickets available, while several other matches have only few seating categories left.

"We urge fans who have yet to make up their minds to get in soon to secure the seats they want or they will miss out," Mr Snedden said.

Details on availability can be viewed online at www.rugbyworldcup.com/tickets - tickets can be bought on the website or selected Ticketek outlets.

About one in four ticketholders to Auckland matches are from overseas, most coming from Australia, England, France, Ireland, South Africa and the United States. Up to 95,000 total visitors are expected to visit New Zealand during the two-month tournament.

Despite the strong sales of public tickets, fewer corporate hospitality packages have been taken up than expected. Rugby Travel & Hospitality operations manager David White said about 50,000 were likely to sell, down from early hopes of 70,000. More affordable corporate hospitality packages have been made available, and the Eden Park pavilion - the most expensive hospitality area - has been downsized in favour of function rooms in the stadium.