The 2011 Rugby World Cup final will be held in New Zealand on the weekend of October 22-23, the International Rugby Board (IRB) said.

The final will be played at Auckland's Eden Park, the same venue for the inaugural World Cup decider in 1987.

A decision on the exact day of the final will be made during this year's World Cup, to be held in France from September 7 to October 20.

The IRB said it was still discussing the possibility of reducing the number of competing teams from 20 to 16 to avoid one-sided matches between mismatched teams.

"It is envisaged a decision on this will be made in October this year," IRB chairman Syd Millar said in a statement.

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