England launch the five-week Women’s Rugby World Cup on Friday night when the top-ranked Red Roses face the United States at 20:30 BST. The match at home soil opens a 16-team tournament that runs through 27 September and will be televised live in the U.K. by the BBC. John Mitchell’s side arrive as overwhelming favourites after extending their winning run to 27 matches and 57 victories in their last 58 outings, including emphatic warm-up defeats of France 40-6 and Spain 97-7. England are chasing a third world title and the chance to atone for their last-minute loss to New Zealand in the 2022 final. Organisers say ticket demand is the strongest in the event’s history, with the 82,000-seat final at Twickenham already sold out—a crowd that would set a record for a women’s rugby fixture and dwarf the 30,000 cumulative attendance recorded when England last hosted in 2010. Pool play continues this weekend with Wales meeting Scotland and Ireland facing Japan as the sport seeks to capitalise on surging interest and professional investment.