The Wigan Warriors have confirmed the return of the World Club Challenge to English soil is being well supported, with more than 18,000 tickets already sold.

Still over a month out from the game that will be played on February 24, Wigan have confirmed there are only around 7,000 tickets left to the game at the 25,133 capacity DW Stadium.

The match - which pits the English Super League champions against the NRL champions - made its return for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 last year, but was played in Australia at Penrith as the Panthers fell by a point to St Helens.

St Helens, who had won four consecutive Super League titles, were stopped from making the grand final in 2023, with Wigan getting the better of Catalans.

Penrith, meanwhile, will play their second straight World Club Challenge, but this time at Wigan's DW Stadium as they look to extract revenge for their defeat at the hands of St Helens which also cost them injury-wise after winger Taylan May hurt his ACL.

Wigan have hosted the game on four prior occasions, with three of those coming recently and all seeing big crowds - 24,268 against the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2011, 21,011 against the Cronulla Sharks in 2017 and 21,331 against the Sydney Roosters in 2019.

The Warriors only managed to win one of those - against the Sharks - while they also hosted back in 2000 when St Helens were flogged by the Melbourne Storm.

Wigan also hosted at their old Central Park home in 1987 (in an 8-2 win against the Manly Sea Eagles) and 1992 (in a 22-8 loss to the Brisbane Broncos), while they also hosted at Anfield - home of English Premier League giants Liverpool - in 1991 against the Panthers, winning 21-4. The English outfit have also travelled to Australia in 2014 where they fell 36-14 to the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Penrith's loss to the Warriors in 1991 is joined by another loss in 2004 to the Bradford Bulls and their 2023 loss, with the Panthers still searching for their first World Club Challenge title.