England’s Grand Slam decider against France last year drew a crowd of 37,573 at Allianz Stadium.
Women’s rugby is enjoying unprecedented levels of attention.
Following a highly successful Rugby World Cup last year, a study commissioned by BBC Sport indicates that supporter numbers in the UK have surged from 7.94 million pre-existing fans to 13.21 million.
England’s victory over Canada in September’s final was witnessed by 81,885 fans at Allianz Stadium – a record attendance for a women’s rugby match and the second-highest for any men’s or women’s World Cup final.
The match was the most-watched women’s rugby game on UK television, boasting a peak audience of 5.8 million viewers. Its viewership surpassed both the Six Nations and the British and Irish Lions’ victorious tour of Australia, making it the most-watched rugby match of the year.
With rugby union ranking as the second most-watched women’s sport in 2025 and momentum at an all-time high, this year’s Women’s Six Nations is poised to be the largest in history in terms of attendance.
Pre-tournament demand has already shattered records, with all four home nations hosting fixtures at their national stadiums.
The current record crowd for a Women’s Six Nations game stands at 58,498, set during the 2023 Grand Slam decider between England and France.
That record is expected to fall, with over 75,000 tickets already sold for England’s opening match against Ireland at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
“There is probably a line of thinking that audiences will just keep growing, but they are actually hard to maintain,” Rugby Football Union director of women’s rugby Alex Teasdale told BBC Sport.
“The role of the Red Roses as ambassadors has helped sustain some of that strong buy-in, and the fans have had a brilliant time.
“It has been really pleasing to see, but anyone involved in women’s sport knows it is not a given.
“You have to work hard to give fans a brilliant experience so they want to keep coming back.”
Scotland will host England next weekend for their first Women’s Six Nations match played in front of fans at Murrayfield.
Scotland women’s record home attendance of 7,774 was set at Hive Stadium in 2024, but more than 25,000 tickets have been sold for the fixture.
The anticipated record crowd is set to be the largest for a standalone women’s sporting event in Scotland.
Ireland’s game against Scotland on the final weekend will be their first at the 51,711-capacity Aviva Stadium, and their record home attendance of 7,754 is expected to be surpassed, with over 16,000 tickets already reported to have been sold.
Wales, who play Scotland at Principality Stadium on the opening weekend, are aiming to exceed last year’s record crowd of 21,186 for a Wales women’s team event on home soil.
Meanwhile, France will host England at the 42,115-capacity Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux in the final round, where they hope for a full house for a potential Grand Slam decider.
But will the on-field action live up to the soaring demand for tickets?
England will play their home matches at Allianz Stadium and Ashton Gate.
Rowland starts as much-changed England face Ireland
Women’s Six Nations guide: Fixtures and BBC coverage
England’s decision to award full-time professional contracts to 28 players in 2019 has created a significant advantage over other nations.
John Mitchell’s squad is pursuing an eighth consecutive title and a fifth consecutive Grand Slam. They are currently on a record 33-game winning streak across all competitions, with their last Six Nations defeat occurring in 2018.
Last year, England secured four predictable victories with significant margins, scoring 208 points and conceding only 27, before France provided an immense challenge in an epic title decider.
Despite some notable absences from their squad, England remains the clear favorite this year.
The team still features BBC Sports Personality of the Year runner-up Ellie Kildunne and last year’s world player of the year nominee Megan Jones, who will assume the captaincy in the absence of Zoe Stratford, who is pregnant. Furthermore, they possess considerable squad depth.
France is again considered their primary rival and has appointed former Canada women’s head coach Francois Ratier in hopes of ending their 16-game losing streak against England.
They will have home advantage in this year’s anticipated title showdown on 17 May, which could create another thrilling finale to the championship.
England’s 2025 Six Nations wins
England 38-5 Italy
Wales 12-67 England
Ireland 5-49 England
England 54-7 Scotland
England 43-42 France
Ireland, Scotland, and Italy each won two games in last year’s tournament, introducing a degree of unpredictability that had been absent at the top of the table, but they still have work to do to close the gap with England.
Ireland, Six Nations champions in 2013 and 2015, continue to show improvement under Scott Bemand and narrowly lost to France at the World Cup.
The Irish Rugby Football Union has confirmed 35 centralized contracts for their sevens and XVs stars, aiming to maintain their positive trajectory.
Last year’s player of the championship, Aoife Wafer, will likely be instrumental if they manage to defeat France away on 25 April.
Despite the team’s best World Cup performance in 23 years, the management of player contracts left some Scotland players with what they described as “probably the worst case of mental health” they had ever experienced.
While these off-field issues are reportedly resolved, Scotland will heavily rely on star players such as Evie Gallagher and Francesca McGhie.
Italy, who announced their first contracts before the 2023 Six Nations, has a growing number of players competing in PWR, but their performance has been inconsistent.
Wales exited at the pool stage of the World Cup and are still adjusting under three-time Premiership Women’s Rugby-winning head coach Sean Lynn.
While Lynn is a top-tier coach, his players are struggling to secure regular starting positions in England’s top domestic league, potentially making wins difficult to achieve.
England’s continued dominance presents a challenge in attracting casual viewers seeking more competitive matches.
Mitchell aims to continue evolving his team’s game and establish a dynasty by winning consecutive World Cups, while acknowledging that their winning streak will eventually end.
“There is a Lions tour in 2027, so there are a lot of factors that will distract our girls along the way,” he said. “If we do have a hiccup here and there that is also good to learn from.”
Captain Jones believes the team’s ability to play exciting rugby will enable them to continue attracting fans.
“Our role is to be the entertainers and make sure that we provide a product that people want to come back and watch,” said Jones.
An improved standard of play, as demonstrated throughout the World Cup, could lead to more entertaining and competitive games throughout the tournament.
Increased attention will help propel the sport forward, but the on-field product must deliver for the growing numbers in the stands and watching at home.
If it does, the 2026 Women’s Six Nations has the potential to be the largest yet.