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How to watch the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals in Switzerland

As the Rugby World Cup approaches its climax, here's how you can get in on the action in Switzerland.

Published: 12 October 2023 16:38 CEST
England's supporters pose ahead of the France 2023 Rugby World Cup match between England and Samoa, near Lille, northern France on October 7, 2023.
England' fans at the Rugby World Cup. Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP

When the Rugby World Cup kicked off in host country France on September 8th, there were 20 international sides battling it out for the title. 

Just over a month later, those 20 have been whittled down to eight – defending champions South Africa, world number one side Ireland, France as well as New Zealand, England, Wales, Argentina and Fiji.

Even though Switzerland has never taken part in a rugby world championship, you might still be following a team or simply want to get involved. Here’s how to enjoy the action in the run up to the final on October 28th. 

In person

If you’re up for trying to get tickets and travelling, you might get lucky. The Rugby World Cup ticket site has the latest official information on ticket availability. At the time of writing, Ireland v New Zealand and France v South Africa at Stade de France were both sold out, but some tickets were available for England v Fiji and Wales v Argentina, in Marseille. 

The above link also offers access to the official Rugby World Cup resale site, where fans can sell-on purchased tickets at face value if, for whatever reason, they no longer wish to attend certain games.

The rugbyworldcup.com site is the only official resale site for tournament tickets, so if you see any for sale on other platforms be very, very careful that it’s not a scam.

You should also be aware that hotel bargains (or even vacant rooms) are going to be hard to come by in and around Marseille and Saint-Denis, and that the cost of travel may well be high. 

On TV

For German-speakers, Pro7 has the broadcasting rights for the Rugby World Cup. All 48 matches of the tournament will be shown in the livestream on ran.de. In addition, 35 matches can be seen for free on Pro7 MAXX.

Those who prefer other languages can also find matches elsewhere. The English channel ITV is broadcasting the tournament, and it can be received via most Swiss providers, according to Swiss site, Watson. The French channel TF1 will also show some matches.

It also looks like people in Switzerland will be able to watch the semi-finals and the final (see the dates below) on Swiss broadcaster SRF. 

At a sports bar

There are several pubs in Switzerland that will show the games, or at least most of them.

The Paddy Reilly’s Irish bar, which shows big sports games, has locations in Zurich, Basel and Freiburg

You could also try one of the Mr. Pickwick Pubs, which have locations in Zurich, Baden, Lucerne, Zug, Bern and Basel. It has plenty of British and Irish beers if that’s your thing. 

Kennedy’s Irish Pub and McGee’s in Zurich could also be worth checking out, and The Lady Godiva Pub in Geneva is an English bar that shows sports. 

Meanwhile, the Gallus Pub in St. Gallen shows most big sporting events. 

Here’s a look at the matches coming up and the dates to keep in mind:

Saturday, October 14th

5pm (CET): Wales v Argentina (Stade de Marseille) 

9pm: Ireland v New Zealand (Stade de France, Saint-Denis) 

Sunday, October 15th 

5pm: England v Fiji (Stade de Marseille) 

9pm: France v South Africa (Stade de France, Saint-Denis) 

Semi-finals

Friday, October 20th 

9pm: Wales or Argentina v Ireland or New Zealand (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

Saturday, October 21st

9pm: England or Fiji v France or South Africa (Stade de France, Saint-Denis) 

Third-place play-off

Friday, October 27th

9pm (Stade de France, Saint-Denis) 

Final

Saturday, October 28th

9pm (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

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SWITZERLAND EXPLAINED

Why are so many international sporting organisations based in Switzerland?

Switzerland has been rocked by the news that FIFA has amended its rules to allow the possible moving of its headquarters from Zurich. However, it’s hardly the only international sporting organisation based in Switzerland. Why is that the case? 

Published: 17 May 2024 14:38 CEST
Why are so many international sporting organisations based in Switzerland?

Swiss media reports that FIFA laid the groundwork for a potential exit from the city via a vote held Friday, May 17th, during the body’s congress in Bangkok, that changed its governing statutes. 

Despite this move, FIFA has announced it’s ‘happy’ to remain in Zurich.

Even after a potential departure, Switzerland would still claim to be the world’s centre for sports.

In all over 70 organisations overseeing international sports have headquarters in the country. 

Of course, the most famous is the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which was founded in Lausanne by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, in 1915. 

READ MORE: What is the secret to Switzerland’s Olympic success?

In the century that followed, several other organisations related to the Olympics and the governing bodies of several popular sports have also based themselves in the lakeside city. 

The World Archery Federation, the International Boxing Association, European Gymnastics, World Triathlon, and several other bodies are based in Lausanne, which is close to the IOC. 

Lausanne is also home to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which seeks to mediate sporting disputes. At the same time, the World Anti-Doping Agency was headquartered there until 2002. 

Outside of Lausanne, the International Ice Hockey Federation is headquartered in Zurich. Basketball’s peak body, FIBA, is based in Basel, as is Europe’s football governing body, UEFA. 

An attractive base

Switzerland is the logical base for world sporting associations for the same reasons international diplomatic and scientific bodies such as the United Nations, the International Red Cross, and the World Health Organisation call the country home. 

First and foremost, Switzerland is the world’s oldest completely neutral country, recognised as such by the international community in 1815. It is not allied with any other significant power. It has stayed out of all the major world conflicts of the twentieth century. 

Switzerland also enjoys an attractive location at Europe’s ‘crossroads’, centrally located and with land borders adjoining several European powers. 

With four official languages, operating an international body within the country is more accessible, thanks to existing linguistic resources. 

In the end, however, money talks. 

The canton of Vaud, where Lausanne is located, does not tax international sporting organisations. Swiss law ostensibly treats them in much the same way as amateur sporting clubs.

There are no requirements to publish financial records, and there are very few other statutes to which they must adhere in their day-to-day operations.

Of course, this has raised the spectre of corruption – in just the last few years, the International Fencing Federation, the swimming governing body FINA and the IOC have been scrutinised over alleged bribes, kickbacks and links to Russian oligarchs. 

Most notably, FIFA itself was the centre of a corruption scandal in  involving its former head, Sepp Blatter, in 2015, 

While the Swiss government has yet to respond with legal changes to help preserve its image, some organisations are already working to prevent scrutiny. 

Most notably, the IOC and related bodies began publishing their financial accounts in 2015, while FIFA introduced a new ‘Code of Ethics’ last year. 

Several individuals also thought to be linked to bribes have also been disqualified from serving with their assoicated organisations. 

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