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The Rugby Football Union beat competition from South Africa and Italy after submitting a commercial package worth an estimated £300 million to the global game.

The 2015 Rugby World Cup will run from September 4 to October 17, when the final will be played at Twickenham.

Matches will be staged in 10 cities and 12 stadiums across the country including Wembley, Old Trafford, the Emirates Stadium, Anfield and the Millennium Stadium, which is the only venue being used outside England.

The last time England hosted the tournament was in 1991, when Will Carling's team were beaten in the final by Australia.

Since then, rugby union has turned professional and the World Cup has developed into the globe's third biggest sporting event.

Hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup is estimated by Deloittes to be worth £2.1 billion to the British economy.

The tournament forms a central plank of Britain's so-called "decade of sport", which also includes the 2012 Olympics, the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, the 2014 Commonwealth Games and potentially the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The RFU's promise of a £300 million windfall for the IRB, in challenging economic times, appears to have played a part in the successful vote.

Estimates suggest the World Cup in New Zealand in 2011 is heading for a substantial operating loss of between £20-30 million.

On top of the £80 million tournament fee, of which £25 million has been unwritten by the Government, the "mature" UK market is expected to attract a further £220 million in commercial returns from broadcasting, sponsorship, hospitality and merchandising – understood to be at least 20 per cent more than the RFU's rivals ahead of today's vote and 50 per cent greater than France 2007.

And with the European television rights yet to be sold for the 2011 tournament in New Zealand, their value could be enhanced if England were successful for 2015, as they would be likely to be sold as a package.

Between them, England and Japan landed 16 of the 26 votes in favour of rubber-stamping the Rugby World Cup Ltd (RWCL) recommendations.

The recommendations made by the RWCL board were based on a detailed analysis of all bids conducted by Deloitte, IMG and legal giants Clifford Chance.

Additionally, there was also a widespread desire for rugby to break new ground by taking the 2019 World Cup to Asia after Japan were controversially overlooked for the 2011 tournament.