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 A record crowd is on target to turn the Emirates Airline London Sevens into the world’s biggest weekend of rugby.

Ticket sales for the penultimate round of the HSBC Sevens World Series stood at 89,866 last night and around 100,000 fans are expected at Twickenham Stadium over the two days.

The continued growth of the London tournament – already 14 per cent up on last year – builds on previous record attendances of 63,500 in 2009 and 78,000 in 2010.

And this year’s massive crowd will witness the penultimate chapter in the race for the World Series title as England attempt to reel in series leaders New Zealand in front of their home fans.

England are on target for their best ever tally of series points after winning the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens and reaching finals in George, Wellington and Hong Kong.

But they have a 13-point deficit to make up on New Zealand, who are attempting to secure their ninth overall title in the 12 year history of the series, making London a must-win event for the home team.

Sir Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman, Emirates Airline & Group, said: “Emirates is proud of its long standing relationship with rugby sevens especially here in England. This weekend’s Emirates Airline London Sevens promises to be an exciting weekend on and off the pitch with England aiming to beat New Zealand to claim their first ever HSBC Sevens World Series crown, and Twickenham hoping for a record attendance figure.

“Rugby Sevens is a rapidly growing sport around the world, and Emirates is delighted that the tournament here in London is continuing to thrive and attract even more fans of all nations and all ages to the Home of England Rugby.”

England Sevens head coach Ben Ryan said: “The Emirates Airline London Sevens keeps getting bigger and better each year. On and off the pitch it’s a brilliant spectacle and its popularity is also a testament to the global boom sevens is enjoying.

“There’s nothing we enjoy more than playing in front of our home fans and with the series still alive we know we have to repeat our 2009 tournament win to close the gap on New Zealand.”

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “The global Game of Rugby Sevens continues to grow at a phenomenal rate as we approach those first Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 - both on the pitch in terms of the number of sides genuinely competitive at these World Series events, and off it with attendances reaching their highest ever levels and broadcast figures setting new records each year.

“Last season international television coverage for the Series rose on the previous high to over 3,500 hours across 35 broadcasters and this year we anticipate a further 10 per cent rise at least. The appetite for the sport seems to grow and grow.”

Andrea de Vincentiis, Senior Sports Sponsorship Manager, HSBC said: “This is the first season of HSBC’s title sponsorship of the HSBC Sevens World Series and we are delighted with the continued growth and popularity of the series around the world. On the day that HSBC also announced a new co-title sponsorship of the world’s biggest and most famous rugby sevens event (Hong Kong), the news that the England tournament is breaking its own attendance records shows just how much demand there is for this entertaining and exciting new Olympic sport.”

The record attendance for a two-day Sevens World Series event stands at just over 100,000, the capacity crowd recorded at the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens in 2008.