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Wales are set to take on Fiji in front of a crowd of around 16,000 at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday.
The game is a designated Fiji home match and will be played at the capital city’s football ground instead of the Principality Stadium.
Just under 16,000 tickets are believed to have been sold so far at the venue, which has a capacity of 33,280. There could yet be a strong walk-up crowd on the day but, as things stand, the stadium’s upper Ninian Stand, which holds 5,338 fans, will not even be open.
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Fiji are playing all of their Nations Championship “home” fixtures in the UK this summer, with further Test matches against England at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium and Scotland at Murrayfield. The Principality Stadium was not chosen by Fiji for the match, with summer concerts at the venue also a factor.
The stadium is used by the Wales football team for home matches, often selling out for big matches, although low crowds have been seen for friendlies. A crowd of just 11,806 attended last month’s fixture against Ghana.
Fiji have brought a star-studded squad to Cardiff with the likes of Semi Radradra, Josua Tuisova, Jiuta Wainiqolo and Salesi Rayasi in their ranks.
The stadium is set to be “transformed” to mark the fact this is a home match for Fiji, with a number of cultural activities designed to showcase the traditions, heritage and hospitality of the nation to supporters.
Outside the stadium, the official Fan Zone will feature an authentic Fijian Village, complete with traditional bures, the iconic thatched houses found throughout the islands.
Tickets for the match are on sale for between £25 and £65 for adults, and £10 for under-17s.
The new biennial Nations Championship will see the top 12 teams in the world play each other for the chance of coming out on top at the end of the year.
At the conclusion of Saturday’s opener against Fiji, Steve Tandy’s side will face Argentina in Santa Fe and world champions South Africa in Durban.
Then, in the autumn, they take on Japan, Australia and New Zealand at the Principality Stadium.
There will then be a finals day at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, the following weekend.
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