London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Nov 08, 2025

Wales v New Zealand: Covid passes for all at Principality Stadium

Wales v New Zealand: Covid passes for all at Principality Stadium

Covid passes will be needed for all 74,000 fans on Saturday as Wales hosts international rugby at a full stadium for the first time since the pandemic.

Each ticket holder will also have an arrival time at a specific gate to stagger entries for Wales v New Zealand at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said passes had been "well managed" at big football matches in Wales.

Public transport face mask law will be enforced, fans have been warned.

Mark Williams, the stadium manager said the first thing fans would see will be stewards checking Covid passes.

"With the turnstiles the important thing this time is we've got the digital ticketing system, which is a fairly new system we've put in place, so just to implore the fans to download your digital tickets and have them ready to go before you get to the turnstiles."

Mr Williams said he did not think every pass would be checked, however.

Mark Williams urges fans to respect staff at the Principality Stadium

"We're going to try our best, we'll have to see how the crowd builds, what we don't want to do is cause a problem by trying to solves a problem, so it'll be proportional based on the size of the crowd at the time, we'll do our best to get as many done as we can.

'Respect the staff'


"We've got different filters, the phased entry system should help avoid that anyway, but of course we've got the Covid pass we've got the search and turnstiles, so we can switch on and off to get the flow going quite nicely into the stadium.

"We've got 850 stewards tomorrow which is remarkable."

He said fans were "always very, very respectful, but with the extra restrictions that are in place, just respect the staff that have got a job to do".

He added: "Before you set off, make sure you've got your Covid pass sorted out, or your lateral flow test text or email sorted out, and get your tickets downloaded on to your phone so you're ready at the turnstiles to move straight into the stadium.

"The only other addition is, we're going to ask people to wear masks from the time they step on to our footprint to the time they take their seats. When you take your seat you have the option to take your mask off or leave it on. And if you leave the stadium bowl to go back into the concourse, you'll have to put your mask back on."

British Transport Police said: "It is law in Wales, it isn't in England, but it's compulsory on public transport in Wales unless you're medically exempt, so please do wear your masks.

"It's going to be busy, there's going to be queues at the stations and trains will be busy. We'd ask you all to behave especially going home, perhaps when people are celebrating a Welsh win, that everyone just gets on and we get everyone home safely."

The All Blacks are facing Wales in Cardiff for the first time since 2017

It is the first men's rugby international at the Principality Stadium with no crowd restrictions since Wales lost 23-27 to France on 22 February in the 2020 Six Nations Championship - a month and a day before the first coronavirus lockdown was announced.

Wales played their matches last autumn at an empty Parc Y Scarlets, in Llanelli, while the Principality Stadium was being used as a Covid field hospital.

The 2021 Six Nations home matches were played in Cardiff, in front of an empty stadium, while crowds of about 8,000 were allowed as Wales took on Argentina in July, before most restrictions were scrapped in Wales.

Covid passes were used at the South Wales Derby between Swansea City and Cardiff City earlier this month

The match against the All Blacks will not be the first event to use Covid passes in Wales, but it will be the largest so far.

Passes, which show if a person has received two Covid vaccines or has returned a negative lateral flow test result in the past 48 hours, are in force at nightclubs and events of more than 10,000 people.

Other measures in the stadium include a health questionnaire and digital tickets, while face masks will be mandatory while moving around the stadium, although these can be removed when seated.

There are four different allotted time slots for fans to arrive, starting at 14:45 BST.

South Wales Police said it would be policing the event as normal.

Covid case rates in Wales are currently among the highest they have been since the start of the pandemic, with 653.1 new infections per 100,000 population over the most-recent seven-day period, according to Public Health Wales data.

Several roads will be closed, with Scott Road and Park Street shut from 07:00.

At 13:15, the following roads will also be closed:

* Duke Street, Castle Street, High Street, St Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road

* Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street

* Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street

* Tudor Road from Clare Road to Wood Street

* Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street from Despenser Place to Tudor Street

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
ITV Warns of Nine-Per-Cent Drop in Q4 Advertising Revenue Amid Budget Uncertainty
National Grid Posts Slightly Stronger-Than-Expected Half-Year Profit as Regulatory Investments Drive Growth
UK Business Lobby Urges Reeves to Break Tax Pledges and Build Fiscal Headroom
UK to Launch Consultation on Stablecoin Regulation on November 10
UK Savers Rush to Withdraw Pension Cash Ahead of Budget Amid Tax-Change Fears
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
UK Report Backs Generational Smoking Ban Ahead of Tobacco & Vapes Bill Review
UK’s Domino’s Pizza Group Reports Modest Like-for-Like Sales Growth in Q3
UK Supplies Additional Storm Shadow Missiles to Ukraine as Trump Alleges Russian Underground Nuclear Tests
High-Profile Broodmare Puca Sells for Five Million Dollars at Fasig-Tipton ‘Night of the Stars’
Wilt Chamberlain’s One-of-a-Kind ‘Searcher 1’ Supercar Heads to Auction
Erling Haaland’s Remarkable Run: 13 Premier League Goals in 10 Matches and Eyes on History
UK Labour Peer Warns of Emerging ‘Constituency for Hating Jews’ in Britain
UK Home Secretary Admits Loss of Border Control, Warns Public Trust at Risk
President Trump Expresses Sympathy for UK Royal Family After Title Stripping of Prince Andrew
Former Prince Andrew to Lose His Last Military Title as King Charles Moves to End His Public Role
King Charles Relocates Andrew to Sandringham Estate and Strips Titles Amid Epstein Fallout
Two Arrested After Mass Stabbing on UK Train Leaves Ten Hospitalised
Glamour UK Says ‘Stay Mad Jo x’ After Really Big Rowling Backlash
Former Prince Prince Andrew Faces Possible U.S. Congressional Appearance Over Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
UK Faces £20 Billion Productivity Shortfall as Brexit’s Impact Deepens
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Eyes New Council-Tax Bands for High-Value Homes
UK Braces for Major Storm with Snow, Heavy Rain and Winds as High as 769 Miles Wide
U.S. Secures Key Southeast Asia Agreements to Reshape Rare Earth Supply Chains
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
King Charles Strips Prince Andrew of Titles and Royal Residence
Trump–Putin Budapest Summit Cancelled After Moscow Memo Raises Conditions for Ukraine Talks
×