Rugby World Cup 2021: Eden Park to host final

The 2021 event will be the first to have quarter-finals, instead of teams progressing from the pools straight to the final four

Eden Park, Auckland's fabled Test venue, will host the final of the women's Rugby World Cup in 2021.

The 50,000-capacity stadium staged the final of the men's Rugby World Cup in 1987 and 2011 and is the first major venue to hold the women's equivalent.

The 12-team tournament will run from 18 September to 16 October.

"We are confident that New Zealand 2021 will be one of the great Rugby World Cups, attracting a new fan and player base," said Sir Bill Beaumont.

New Zealand's men's team are unbeaten in their last 43 matches at Eden Park - a run stretching back to July 1994

World Rugby's chairman added: "It is a privilege to be here in New Zealand and to see the huge amount of work that has already gone into ensuring this will be another spectacular tournament for the world's best women's teams."

New Zealand beat England 41-32 in the final of the 2017 event in Ireland, a tournament which broke new ground in attendance and broadcast figures.

The Black Ferns have won five of the last six Rugby World Cups. They, along with England, France, the United States, Canada, Australia, Wales, South Africa, Fiji and three other teams, will be drawn into pools later this year.

Waitakere Stadium and Whangarei's Northland Events Centre will also stage matches. World Rugby announced in August that it was removing 'Women's' from the 2021 event's title, referring to it as 'Rugby World Cup 2021' to promote equality.