The flagship official Rugby World Cup 2019 Megastore will open in Tokyo on 22 August and will be located in one of the world’s busiest locations.

With the global rugby family celebrating 50 days to go and the final countdown to rugby’s biggest event well and truly on, the 1,000sqm megastore will be located in Shinjuku Odakyu Park in front of world’s busiest train station in Shinjuku, which is a transport hub for more than 3.6 million people every day.

The exciting news for fans follows the announcement that master licensee IMG Licensing has appointed Legends, an industry-leader as the official retail partner and operator for Rugby World Cup 2019, operating 73 official merchandise stores the length and breadth of the host nation.

It will stock the complete Rugby World Cup 2019 range, featuring must-have gifts and apparel for men, women and children as well as providing a number of immersive and exciting experiences for fans.

The physical stores will complement the online store at www.shop.rugbyworldcup.com.

World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper said: "The official merchandising programme is a Rugby World Cup success story and the opening of the flagship store in one of the world’s iconic and busiest locations further underscores why we believe that Japan 2019 will be a very special tournament for fans as we reach the 50 days to go milestone.”

With dedicated fanzones in each of the host cities, Legends plans to open an official store at each of these vibrant venues as well as in-stadia.

Legends International Chief Commercial Officer Nick Price said: “We are excited to engage with Rugby World Cup 2019 as the next step in the expansion of our leading event retail offerings platform. The Megastore and the other 73 locations will provide fans with the most convenient, rewarding, and memorable experience at a once-in-a-lifetime event. We are prepared to bring unparalleled customer experience initiatives to the largest stage in rugby.”

The megastore will be open daily: 22 August-18 September from 10:30-20:00, 19 September-4 November from 10:00-22:00 and 5-20 November 10:30-20:00.

As part of a campaign to protect fans from counterfeited merchandise, Rugby World Cup Limited has created an official guide where fans can check they are buying from official sources - www.rugbyworldcup.com/buyofficial.