Villa Park has been confirmed as a venue for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and will host two matches.

The ground is one of eight football stadia controversially selected to stage rugby matches and will have a southern hemisphere feel as oval ball powerhouses South Africa and Australia will play on consecutive days.

First on September 26, 2015 the Springboks will be involved in a mouthwatering Pool B game against Samoa and then the next day the Wallabies will face an as yet unspecified winner of a qualification play-off.

Villa Park has beaten off competition from Coventry City's Ricoh Arena for the right to hold what will be the biggest Rugby World Cup since the competition's inception in 1987.

Aston Villa's home ground was one of the host stadiums during the 1966 World Cup and the 1996 European Championships.

Villa Park also regularly hosted FA Cup semi-finals for decades, before the Football Association chose to stage the clashes at Wembley, and was the venue for the last ever European Cup Winners' Cup Final, between Real Mallorca and Lazio, in 1999.

Controversially, Leicester City FC’s King Power Stadium and not Leicester Tigers’ Welford Road, will complete the Midlands’ representation.

Other football stadia to have made the cut include Wembley, St James’ Park, the Etihad Stadium, Elland Road, Brighton’s Amex Stadium, MK Dons’ stadiummk, while the Olympic Stadium is thought to be a surprise inclusion on the list.

Traditional rugby grounds Gloucester’s Kingsholm, Exeter Chiefs’ Sandy Park, Twickenham, and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff complete the list.

The 20-team tournament will kick-off at Twickenham on September 18, 2015, when England are expected to face the winners of the Oceania qualifying competition – which looks like it will be Fiji.

England will play at Manchester City's ground for the first time with their three other Rugby World Cup 2015 pool matches taking place at Twickenham Stadium.

Stuart Lancaster's side will open the tournament against the Oceania qualifier on Friday, September 18, 2015, before facing Pool A rivals Wales on September 26 and Australia on October 3.

Then they head to the North West and take on the qualifying play-off winners at the 47,800-seater home of the deposed Premier League champions on October 10.

The Rugby World Cup will have 48 matches in all - 40 group matches played by four pools each of five countries, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, a third-place play-off and the final.

The 13 venues selected are: Twickenham (10 matches); Wembley Stadium (two matches); Olympic Stadium (five matches); Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (eight matches); Etihad Stadium, Manchester (one match); St James' Park, Newcastle (three matches); Elland Road, Leeds (two matches); King Power Stadium, Leicester (three matches); Villa Park (two matches); Kingsholm, Gloucester (four matches); stadiummk, Milton Keynes (three matches); Amex Stadium, Brighton (two matches) and Sandy Park, Exeter (three matches).

Tickets for the 48-match tournament will go on sale next year.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson said: "Rugby World Cup in 2015 is another great global sports event coming to the UK.

"It has the full backing of Government and will be fantastic for rugby in this country encouraging more people to get involved.

"There is also a great tourism opportunity to make the most of with matches being played across the country."