The first International Tag Federation World Cup to take place in the northern hemisphere will finally kick-off in Limerick next week after a two-year pandemic delay.
The Opening Ceremony, including a Nations Parade, will take place at 19:00 on Tuesday 1st August on Maguire’s Pitch in University of Limerick, followed at 21:00 with the first matches of the tournament, two mouth-watering clashes between Ireland and Australia in Men’s 30s and South Africa and Great Britain in Mixed Open.
In total, 2,000 players, coaches, referees, officials and spectators from 17 nations and 85 teams will descent on the city from Sunday 30th July with matches kicking off in earnest across 10 pitches in UL at 09:00 on Wednesday 2nd August.
And with almost 350 games to be played over a busy four-day schedule, the Closing Festival in Limerick’s Medieval Quarter on Saturday 5th August will be well-deserved for all involved!
This international tournament is expected to be worth between €4M and €5M to the local economy over the August Bank Holiday Weekend, with visitor numbers to the city boosted further by tag players and supporters from all over Ireland and abroad wanting to watch the world’s best tag players in action.
Peadar Niland, Tournament Director, Irish Tag Rugby Association, said “After almost five years of preparation, we’re delighted to finally welcome the world’s best players to Limerick for the 2023 Tag World Cup. This will be the first World Cup with a ‘Tag Village’ where the pitches, accommodation and facilities are all within walking distance for players, referees and officials, which is a huge advantage in terms of logistics and delivering a world-class atmosphere.”
Simon Bewley, International Tag Federation Board Member, added “With a huge contingent travelling to Limerick from the Southern Hemisphere, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Irish public to see the best taggers in the world compete. So make sure to drop down to UL over the course of the tournament and be part of something special!”
Limerick’s success in winning the bid was first announced in 2019 with the Tag World Cup due to take place in 2021 but, because of the pandemic, the tournament was rescheduled for 2023. The joint bid was led by the UL Conference and Sports Campus and the Irish Tag Rugby Association, with the support of Limerick City & County Council, Failte Ireland and the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau.
This will be the first time a northern hemisphere country will host the Tag Rugby World Cup. The three previous International Tag Federation World Cups were held in New Zealand (2012) and Australia (2015, 2018).
TWC 2023 Schedule:
Tuesday 1st August:
- 18:30 Assembly of Nations/Teams/Players for Opening Ceremony
- 19:00 Start of Nations Parade with 17 nations
- 19:45 Musical & Dance Performance and Speeches by Invited Guests, including the Mayor of the City and County of Limerick
- 20:30 Tag World Cup 2023 is officially declared open
- 21:00 First two matches of Tag World Cup 2023 kick off simultaneously on Pitches 1 & 2 and are live streamed around the world
- 21:45 Opening Ceremony ends when both matches are completed
Wednesday 2nd August:
- 92 games to be played across 10 pitches
- First round of matches start at 09:00
- Last round of matches start at 20:00
Thursday 3rd August:
- 99 games to be played across 10 pitches
- First round of matches start at 09:00
- Last round of matches start at 20:00
Friday 4th August:
- 97 games to be played across 10 pitches
- First round of matches start at 09:00
- Last round of matches start at 21:00
Saturday 5th August:
- 55 games to be played across 10 pitches
- First round of matches start at 09:00
- Last round of matches start at 17:00
- Closing Festival in Medieval Quarter from 17:00 until 22:30
