Where to watch the opening weekend of Rugby World Cup 2025

The biggest festival of women’s rugby gets underway in Sunderland this Friday night on a weekend packed with interest for Premiership Women’s Rugby fans.

From the Red Roses taking on the USA at the Stadium of Light to reigning champions the Black Ferns facing Spain in York on Sunday evening, the eyes of the rugby world will be focussed on the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

To ensure you do not missing a second of it, we have you covered in terms of where to watch and who you should be watching out for:

The day has arrived 🤩

Good luck to all of our stars taking part in the Rugby World Cup 👏#PWR pic.twitter.com/eEYSdqFxIE

— Premiership Women's Rugby (@ThePWR) August 22, 2025

FRIDAY

The big one, as more than 40,000 people are set to watch the world’s number one side kick off their bid to win the World Cup for the first time since 2014.

Captained by Gloucester Hartpury standout Zoe Aldcroft, the Red Roses will hope to hit the ground running as they come into this tournament on the back of a 27-match winning streak.

The Circus have five players in the starting line-up, the most of any club, while Saracens and Bristol Bears each contribute four players to the matchday 23.

They come up against a USA side which will have plenty of familiar faces, with 14 of the 15 starters having featured in PWR last season, including Ilona Maher in the centres.

The sevens superstar starts alongside Loughborough Lightning’s Alev Kelter in the midfield, while the team is captained by Trailfinders back-rower Kate Zackary.

The game will be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with kick-off at 7.30pm.

It's on 👊

Hannah Botterman is ready for a showdown with Ilona Maher as the Red Roses prepare for their opener against USA on Friday 🙌

Click the link below to read more 👇#PWR

— Premiership Women's Rugby (@ThePWR) August 20, 2025

SATURDAY

The action comes thick and fast on Saturday, with the first game of the day at midday in Salford where Australia will take on Samoa in the other game in Pool A. That encounter will be available live on the BBC red button, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Then comes perhaps the biggest game of the opening weekend in terms of quarter-final permutations as Scotland take on Wales in the second match of the double header in Salford.

That encounter, which kicks off at 2.45pm, and will be live on BBC One as well as iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, is packed with PWR talent on both sides.

The three-time PWR champion Sean Lynn leads a Wales team captained by Harlequins’ Alex Callender and Gloucester Hartpury’s Kate Williams.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Angerdd, Balchder, Calon ❤️#StrengthInBloom | #RWC2025 pic.twitter.com/kYQ7rqPvpR

— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@WelshRugbyUnion) August 21, 2025

Callender’s head-to-head with Bristol Bears’ Evie Gallagher at No.8 should be one of the most enticing head-to-head match-ups, while the West Country face-off in midfield of the Circus’ Hannah Dallavalle and Bears’ Emma Orr is similarly mouth-watering.

In the same group, there will be lots of PWR representation when the world’s number two team, Canada, kick off their tournament in York against Fiji, captained by Exeter Chiefs star Alex Tessier. That one kicks off at 5.30pm and is live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with Saracens second row Sophie de Goede another to keep an eye on after her return from injury.

The last game of the day is in Exeter at Sandy Park, where Sale Sharks’ Sofia Stefan, Trailfinders’ Sara Seye and Harlequins Silvia Turani will all be looking to spring a surprise when Italy take on France.

Again available to watch on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, the 8.15pm kick-off has the potential to be a thriller, with Le Azzurre pushing the French hard earlier this year in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

The Women’s Rugby World Cup is here! 🤩

Up first... 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England v United States 🇺🇸

📺 You can watch it live on @BBCiPlayer and on @BBCOne from 1830 BST. pic.twitter.com/MICywBhoen

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 22, 2025

SUNDAY

There are three further matches on Sunday, with the action kicking off at 12pm in Northampton where Ireland face Japan.

Gloucester Hartpury’s Sam Monaghan and Exeter Chiefs’ Edel McMahon will co-captain Ireland, who are back on this stage having missed the last World Cup and will be keen to make up for lost time. That game is live on BBC Two, as well as BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

The action continues with a second game in Northampton, home of Loughborough Lightning, with a 2.45pm kick-off for South Africa v tournament debutants Brazil.

That game will be shown on the BBC red button, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with Harlequins Danelle Lochner starting in the second row for Springboks Women.

The final game is also on the red button, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website as world champions New Zealand take on Spain. Harlequins’ rising star Claudia Peña captains Spain in the 5.30pm kick-off in this Pool C encounter.

So from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, it is almost wall-to-wall rugby, so make sure to tune in!