The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has announced that Twickenham Stadium, the historic home of England rugby, will be renamed Allianz Stadium starting from September, as part of a lucrative sponsorship deal with the insurance giant.
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The agreement, reportedly worth over £10 million annually for at least the next ten years, will bring the RFU more than £100 million over the next decade.
This deal means Allianz now holds the naming rights to eight stadiums worldwide, including Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena in Germany.
Twickenham, which has been the venue for England men’s games since 1909, is an 82,000-seater stadium that also hosts international women’s matches, major domestic games, community events, and music concerts.
England’s Six Nations rivals—Wales, Ireland, and Scotland—already have naming-rights deals in place, and the RFU has been considering this move for almost ten years due to its controversial nature.
Social reaction:
ne fan wrote: “Twickenham Stadium to be renamed Allianz Stadium from September after a sponsorship tie-in. Turn your noses up if you like, but Rugby needs cash. In any event, it’s no worse than ‘HQ’.”
Another disgruntled supporter said: “Disastrous decision the RFU have made to rename Twickenham. Can’t see the fans adopting it. Imagine renaming Wembley.”
A third fan was adamant: “If I live to be 150 I will never, never call Twickenham ‘the Allianz Stadium.’ What a travesty, a sacrilege.”
“It will always be Twickenham for me. Unfortunately, the @RFU have had to do this due to their abject financial management historically leaving the game in England in a sorry state!!” added another.
Echoing the sentiment, a fifth fan wrote: “Well done to the RFU for tossing away 100+ years of history and tradition for sheer greed. English rugby has sold its soul. Twickenham is an iconic brand and they’ve just dropped it like it’s worthless.”
Popular YouTuber Squidgy Rugby shared: “Allianz Twickenham you might have said when being official. I’m never going to call it the Allianz Stadium, if nothing else to avoid confusing everyone.”
As the debate rages on, it’s clear that the renaming of Twickenham has struck a nerve among rugby fans, with many struggling to come to terms with the commercial decision.
England set to play Wales at expanded 2027 Rugby World Cup
During the draw, the 24 participating teams will be divided into six pools, each consisting of four teams. Notably, this draw will transpire before the regional qualifiers have concluded, resulting in a dual-world approach.
On one side, we have the twelve automatic qualifiers from the 2023 Rugby World Cup, confirmed by their names. On the other side, the regional qualifiers will be represented as Africa 1, Europe 1, Europe 2, and so forth.
Rugby World Cup 2027 is set to be hosted in Australia, marking the eleventh edition of the Men’s Rugby World Cup and the third time it will take place in Australia. The country previously co-hosted the inaugural Rugby World Cup with New Zealand in 1987 and served as the sole host in 2003.
With the current World Rankings in mind, let’s delve into how the 2027 Rugby World Cup will shape up via Rugby Centre.
2027 Rugby World Cup draw (Current rankings)
POOL A
- South Africa
- Argentina
- Samoa
- Spain
POOL B
- Ireland
- Australia
- Georgia
- Romania
