Anne-Marie to perform at opening show of Women's Rugby World Cup
Global pop star Anne-Marie will headline the opening show of the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 in the North East, it has been revealed.
The performance will take place at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, just before England faces the USA in the tournament's opening match, on August 22 .
Advertisement
Fans can purchase tickets now through tickets.rugbyworldcup.com.
The show is presented by O2, and O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers can enter a ballot for a chance to meet Anne-Marie through the Priority app until August 4.
Anne-Marie said: "I'm so excited to perform at the Opening Show presented by O2 and be part of this massive moment for women's sport.
"Now that I've got a daughter of my own, it means even more to be involved in something that shows the next generation that they can do anything.
"I know Sunderland is going to be going crazy, and I can't wait to be part of it."
Advertisement
Sarah Massey, managing director of the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, said: "Anne-Marie is an exciting British singer-songwriter celebrated for her powerful vocals, dynamic performances, and genre-blending pop hits, and we are thrilled that she will be opening Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 on 22 August in Sunderland.
"Her music often delves into themes of empowerment, love, and personal growth, resonating with what rugby brings to its communities around the world."
Anne-Marie, known for chart-topping singles including 2002, Friends, and Rockabye, will bring her signature energy to a global stage.
The performance is produced by Live Nation and marks the start of six weeks of international rugby, with 16 teams competing across eight venues in England.
Advertisement
READ MORE:
Gareth Griffiths, director of partnerships and sponsorship at Virgin Media O2, said: "It's impossible to overstate the importance of this tournament for women's rugby, and the opening match is a landmark moment for sports fans everywhere.
"O2 is proud to play its part as an official partner of the Women's Rugby World Cup, and to celebrate the opening match the best way we know how – bringing the worlds of music and sport together."
More than 330,000 tickets have already been sold, with prices starting at £5 for children and £10 for adults.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Atalanta look at the Premier League for Mateo Retegui replacements
Mateo Retegui was the Serie A top scorer last season but he has already left Atalanta to move to Al Qadsiya in the Saudi Pro League. Atalanta have since been looking at replacements, to fill the hole left in the striker position. As per their latest targets are from the Premier League – Rodrigo Muniz of Fulham and Jean Phillipe Mateta of Crystal Palace. The promising Brazilian Muniz has scored 17 goals in the last two seasons in the Premier League and is definitely someone who can develop going forward. Newcastle United are also interested in him. Mateta, on the other hand, is in his peak and has become one of the Premier League's best strikers. He fired Crystal Palace to the FA Cup last season and Manchester United is said to be an interested party as well. Neither of these players will come cheap however and any possible deal is expected to be financed by Ademola Lookman's exit, which seems to be approaching. Kaulik Mitra | GIFN
Forbes
30 minutes ago
- Forbes
Can Alessia Russo Become England's First Female Ballon D'Or Winner?
A European champion with her club and country this year, Arsenal's Alessia Russo is emerging as one of the leading contenders to win the prestigious Ballon D'Or in 2025. The 30-player shortlist for the award will be announced today by France Football magazine and Russo is sure to be among several of England's UEFA Women's Euro winning squad to be nominated. The 26-year-old scored in the final against Spain and was also her club's top scorer in the Women's Super League and UEFA Women's Champions League. First awarded in 2018, there have only been four different winners of the Ballon D'Or Féminin in the award's history - Ada Hegerberg, Megan Rapinoe, Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí. The highest-placed English players have been Lucy Bronze in 2019 and Beth Mead in 2022, who both finished second in the rankings. Alexia and Aitana are once again strong candidates to win the Ballon D'Or, but neither had as consistent a tournament as Russo. Alexia was the star of the group stage, scoring three goals and providing four assists in the first three games but her performances tailed off in the knockout stages from that incredibly high standard. Aitana, the winner of the Ballon D'Or in the previous two years was for the third year in succession voted the MVP in the UEFA Women's Champions League. However, she did not start the UEFA Women's Euro after contracting viral meningitis ahead of the tournament. She returned to great effect in the knockout stages with a a backheel assist in the quarter-final and the extra-time winner in the semi-final. Ultimately however, as in the UEFA Women's Champions League final, Russo triumphed over her Spanish rivals for the main trophy. Aitana missed one of the penalties in the UEFA Women's Euro final shoot-out. She was nevertheless voted the Player of the Tournament and an unprecedented hat-trick of Ballon D'Or awards cannot be ruled out. Russo has never before even been shortlisted, even after her impressive performances leading the line for England at the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023. Now an Arsenal player, competing in the Women's Champions League, her media profile has risen and her all-round game has improved. More than just a number nine, she has often played deeper for club and country contributing assists as well as goals. Criticised for her lack of goals at the UEFA Women's Euro this summer, she provided the final pass for three of England's goals at the championship. It was no surprise when she was one of four Lionesses voted into the Team of the Tournament by UEFA's Technical Observer Group. Unlike other awards, the winner of the Ballon D'Or is entirely selected by a jury of specialised journalists from the top 50-ranked countries in the women's game based on the latest FIFA Women's World Rankings. There is one representative per country. Each juror selects their ten best players in descending order from the shortlist of thirty. The ten selected players are awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the player with the highest number of points. Uniquely, the Ballon D'Or sets out specific criteria for the winner. Not merely a prize for the world's best player, the following factors are taken into account -individual performances, decisive and impressive character; team performances and achievements; class and fair play. In all those categories, Russo will score highly this year. One of two players to start the UEFA Women's Champions and UEFA Women's Euro finals for the winning side, she scored 20 goals for Arsenal in all competitions for the first time in her career. Her eight goals in the UEFA Women's Champions League is the highest-ever total by an English woman in the competition. In May, she was voted the women's Player of tbe Year by her country's Football Writers' Association. Historically, the Ballon D'Or has gone to the leading player in a team which has won either the Champions League or a major international tournament within the season in question. There would also therefore be a strong case for the England captain Leah Williamson, who was imperious withstanding countless waves of attack from FC Barcelona and Spain in those two finals. The cut off period of assessment for this award came almost immediately after the UEFA Women's Euro final on July 31. Therefore, the Player of the Tournament performance from Marta in the final of the Copa América Femenina last weekend came too late to be used in her favor. That is not to say, that some judges may be swayed to award the six-time FIFA Women's World Player of the Year her first Ballon D'Or at the venerable age of 39. Only four English players have ever won the Ballon D'Or, which was first awarded in the men's game back in 1956. Stanley Matthews was the inaugural recipient in that year. Ten years later, Bobby Charlton was the next English winner on the back of England's triumph in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Kevin Keegan won the Ballon D'Or twice while representing German club Hamburger SV in 1978 and 1979. The only English player to win the award this century was forward Michael Owen in 2001, If she wins Russo will not only end that 24 year wait but also become the first woman from outside Spain, and FC Barcelona, to lift the award since Rapinoe in 2019. The winners of the the 2025 Ballon D'Or will be announced on September 22 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Man United fans make their thoughts known on Ineos' tenure
Manchester United fans have spoken on how they view new owners Ineos' time at the club to date. Ineos takeover There is no question that United's majority owners, the Glazer family, are deeply unpopular but the jury is out on Ineos. The company owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a minority stake in the club in 2023 and have been at the centre of some huge changes at the football club. There has been a complete revamp of the football structure, the manager and coaching team and numerous new signings at senior and youth team level. Mixed reviews According to a poll undertaken by The Peoples Person, 32% of respondents felt that 'the good outweighs the bad' in what Ineos have done at Old Trafford. Despite a terrible season last year, head coach Ruben Amorim is a popular figure amongst fans and many new signings such as Leny Yoro and Matheus Cunha have been welcomed by supporters. United have also seen the revamp of their Carrington training ground and plans put in place for a new 100,000 seater stadium. Storm clouds have gathered Nonetheless 24% of fans claimed that they have been average while 18% believe that Ineos' tenure has been 'mostly disappointing.' The garden has not always been rosy for Sir Jim Ratcliffe as The 1958 have been very active in protests against some of the club's decisions and they are planning a demonstration against the British billionaire before the opening game of the Premier League season. What's more, the club have also taken some deeply unpopular decisions such as large-scale job cuts, the increase of matchday ticket prices and the removal of Sir Alex Ferguson's ambassadorial role. Finally, some people have taken more extreme views with 16% agreeing with the statement that Ineos have been responsible for an 'absolute sh**show' while 10% feel they have been 'excellent' and a 'breath of fresh air.' Mixed bag All in all, the majority fans view Ineos as a mixed bag. 42% of readers view the new owners as generally positive, while 34% see them in a generally negative light. That leaves 24% of people who haven't really made up their mind as of yet. With the signing of Benjamin Sesko looking likely and the links to Brighton and Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba heating up, Ineos will be hoping to convince a few more fans with an incredibly successful summer window. Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images online polls Follow us on Bluesky: @
