Ireland rugby fans have been given the green light to return to the Aviva Stadium for the first time in 17 months for the summer Tests against Japan and the United States.
Capacity for the Japan game on Saturday, July 3 will be limited to 3,000 supporters, with 6,000 people permitted to attend the USA’s visit to Dublin a week later.
The pilot events will be the first time fans have been at the 51,700-seater stadium since February 8, 2020, when Andy Farrell’s men beat Wales 24-14 in the Six Nations.
Irish Rugby Football Union chief executive Philip Browne said in a statement: “These games are initial positive steps on the journey back to hopefully full stadia across the island.
“The numbers are small, but I am sure spectators will make themselves heard in cheering on the team.
“We hope that this programme, if successful, will put us all in a strong position to welcome back larger numbers of fans to the Aviva Stadium in the autumn when we will have three international rugby fixtures, including games against New Zealand and Argentina.”
The IRFU will allocate 300 tickets for the Japan game to frontline workers in recognition of their contribution during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.