London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 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
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×