The Japan Sport Council (JSC) has selected Zaha Hadid Architects to redesign its Kasumigaoka National Stadium.

The 80,000-seat stadium will need to be complete in time for the country's staging of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and as part of Tokyo's bid for the 2020 Olympic Games.

The London-based architecture firm, which was most recently responsible for the design of the 17,500-capacity London Aquatics Centre, was selected ahead of 11 other candidates, including London 2012 architects Populous.

The competition, which received a total of 46 applicants, restricted entry to practices which had been recipients of the Pritzker Prize, an AIA gold medal, UIA gold medal, Praemium Imperiale or RIBA gold medal.

Applicants were also required to have experience of designing a stadium with a capacity of 15,000 or more.

The 48 entries were whittled down to a shortlist of 11, including bids from Australia's Cox Architecture, a major player in the design of Sydney's Olympics venues and Japan's 2010 Pritzker Prize winners SANAA.

Tsunekazu Takeda, president of Japanese Olympic Committee said: "Japan's newly refurbished stadium will have one of the largest spectator capacities in the world, and will also offer the finest hospitality.

"A state-of-the-art stadium like Kasumigaoka is another indication that Tokyo is ready to deliver a dynamic celebration that reinforces and renews the Olympic Values for a new generation."