The United States will host the Rugby World Cups for the first time in its history.
World Rugby Council — the sport’s international governing body- announced the names of countries chosen to hold the next 5 rugby world cups.
These include three women’s and two men’s tournaments.
At its Annual Meeting in Dublin, the World Rugby Council unanimously approved the staging of the Rugby World Cup in the following countries
- England to host Rugby World Cup 2025 (women’s)
- Australia to host Rugby World Cup 2027 (men’s) and 2029 (women’s)
- The USA to host Rugby World Cup 2031 (men’s) and 2033 (women’s)
The allocation of the world cups marks World Rugby’s biggest attempt to move into the wider American sporting consciousness and unlock what it regards as an area of untapped potential, in both a commercial and sporting sense.
Speaking at the Council, World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Today, we have approved three exceptional Rugby World Cup host nations – England, Australia, and USA – providing unprecedented certainty and an unparalleled opportunity to accelerate the growth and impact of rugby globally. It is great for rugby, for fans and for the host nations.
Rugby’s growth in America is quickly becoming a calculated affair.
The first step of the USA Rugby’s vision is for the countrywide membership to more than quadruple to 450,000 by 2031.
It plans on staging matches “coast-to-coast” and there have been around 25 venue bids, including from NFL and Major League Soccer arenas for hosting such games.
The final step is a significant investment in the domestic Major League Rugby so the U.S. Eagles can become a competitive team in time for 2031.
A competitive US team would crucially be necessary for the Eagles and the World Cup to get traction in the U.S.
The tournament usually takes place in the later stages of the year, a bloc that coincides with other US sports including MLB, NFL, and NHL.
Hosting the two World Cups will cost around $500 million, with profits and losses shared between World Rugby and USA Rugby.
More than 20 American cities are potential hosts for World Cup matches.
The United States was not the only country announced to host Rugby World Cups.
Australia’s hosting rights for the 2027 and 2029 tournaments following a final vote in Dublin has generated plenty of excitement Downunder as well.
The announcement of Rugby Australia and the U.S. as double hosts for both competitions is the first time World Rugby has awarded both premier tournaments to the same country over a two-year period as part of a new strategic decision announced last November.
