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Sold out: World Club Challenge to have largest crowd in a decade

No tickets remain for the game.

Published by
Scott Pryde

The World Club Challenge, to be played in England between the Wigan Warriors and Penrith Panthers in mid-February, is officially sold out weeks prior to the game.

In what is a major boost for the concept, and the English game in general, Wigan took to social media overnight to announce no tickets remain for the game to be played at DW Stadium remain.

The capacity - which sits just a tick over 25,000 - will likely see the biggest World Club Challenge crowd since the game was played in Australia between the Sydney Roosters and Wigan in 2014. On that occasion, 31,515 fans arrived at the Sydney Football Stadium to witness the Roosters hand the Warriors a 22-point beatdown.

Since that game, the crowd for a World Club Challenge has only ticked over 20,000 on two occasions, with Wigan hosting on both of those occasions, beating the Cronulla Sharks 22-6 in 2017, and losing to the Roosters again in 2019.

Previously, the World Club Challenge often drew crowds north of 20 or even 30,000, with the concept's largest crowd coming back in 1994 when Wigan travelled to play the Brisbane Broncos, drawing 54,220 at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.

The largest crowd for a clash in England came in 2005 when 37,028 arrived at Elland Road to watch the Leeds Rhinos beat the Canterbury Bulldogs in a high-scoring 39 points to 32 thriller.

Wigan, who are four-time champions of the World Club Challenge, will look to make it number five against the Panthers, who are yet to breakthrough for a win in the concept, having lost to Wigan in 1991, the Bradford Bulls in 2004, and St Helens at home last year in front of just over 13,000 fans.

The 2024 World Club Challenge will be played on February 24 in England (the morning of February 25 Australian time).

Published by
Scott Pryde