Rugby World Cup: More than 20,000 tickets available for Eden Park semi-final double header

A day out from the Rugby World Cup semi-finals, more than 20,000 tickets are still available for a double-header at Auckland's Eden Park.

On Saturday, both semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup will be played, seeing the hosts and defending champion Black Ferns take on France, while tournament favourites England also square off against Canada in the early kick-off.

But despite tickets being available from as little as $20, fans have so far shown little interest in supporting the four sides playing on the day.

The Black Ferns celebrate.
The Black Ferns celebrate. Photo credit: Image - Photosport

World Cup organisers have confirmed to Newshub just 20,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday, less than half of the 47,000 capacity for the venue.

That would mean unless a strong walk-up crowd turns out on Saturday afternoon and evening, Eden Park will be nowhere near full for the biggest week of the tournament so far.

However, for reference, the 2017 tournament final at Belfast's Kingspan Stadium saw an attendance of around 17,000 fans to watch the Black Ferns beat England 41-32.

Since the tournament first kicked off at the start of October, the Rugby World Cup has been well attended by the New Zealand public.

A total of just under 86,000 fans have turned out to watch matches across the eight-match days of the Rugby World Cup so far, the tournament's official Twitter account posted on Friday morning.

The first day of the tournament, also at Eden Park, saw a sellout for a triple-header, concluding with the Black Ferns playing against Australia.

Waitakere and Whangārei have also seen strong turnouts during their respective matchdays. 

Regardless of Saturday's results, the same four teams will return to Eden Park the following week for the Rugby World Cup final, and the third and fourth playoff.

Catch the Rugby World Cup live on Spark Sport or free-to-air on Three, or join Newshub from 7:30pm Saturday for live updates of the Black Ferns v France semi-final.