- Summit for potential bidding host cities takes place in Washington DC ahead of sell-out USA v Scotland match on 12 July
- World Rugby and USA Rugby eye huge US market development ahead of men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033, important moments within a long-term growth strategy
- Research shows more than 55 million fans, 800,000 players and 3,100 clubs already exist in a thriving domestic rugby community in the USA
- 27 cities from across the US join the information-gathering Host Cities Summit
World Rugby, the international governing body for the sport of rugby union, and USA Rugby, the sport’s national governing body, welcomed representatives from prospective US cities and States wanting to hear more about becoming official host cities for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2031 and Women’s Rugby World Cup 2033 as tournament progress continues at pace ahead of the showpiece events being hosted in North America for the first time.
The Men’s Rugby World Cup lays claim to being the most widely-viewed international sports tournament – after the FIFA (soccer) World Cup, and the Olympic Games. USA are genuine medal contenders at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England. Rugby union’s own short form format of the sport, rugby sevens, has been an Olympic sport since 2016 and will feature in Paris this year and again at the LA 2028 Games, with the USA men’s and women’s teams having realistic medal prospects.
Over 70 representatives from more than 30 interested cities and State entities attended the Rugby World Cup Host City Summit in Washington DC, hearing directly from World Rugby, USA Rugby and tournament stakeholders about bidding requirements, as well hearing from some of the stars of the sport about the tournament and its US potential and global impact. There was also support from the congressional rugby caucus.
Cities and States that expressed an interest in hosting included: Atlanta, GA, Austin, TX, Baltimore, MD, Birmingham, AL, Boston, MA, Charlotte, NC, Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX, Denver, CO, Houston TX, Kansas City, MO, Las Vegas, NV, Los Angeles, CA, Miami, FL, Minneapolis, MN, Nashville, TN, New Orleans, LA, New York, NY, Orlando, FL, Philadelphia, PA, Phoenix, AZ, Pittsburgh, PA, Salt Lake City, UT, San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA and Washington, D.C.
The day-long summit saw World Rugby outline the opportunities and scale of the two Rugby World Cup tournaments, discuss current trends of the game globally and in the US and outline the next steps in the city bidding process. U.S. Dept. of State was also in attendance to discuss host country logistics such as visas, safety and security and transport.
Abby Gustaitis USA rugby sevens Olympian, Angela Ruggiero, US ice hockey Olympian and World Rugby Executive Board Member and Nate Ebner, three-time NFL Superbowl winner and USA rugby sevens Olympian and Blaine Scully, former US Men’s Fifteens Captain, took part in a panel looking at current trends in the men’s and women’s game, as well as sharing their own personal Rugby World Cup experiences. James Rothwell, World Rugby Chief Marketing and Content Officer, and Dan Migala, Legends Co-President and Chief Revenue Officer, also presented to all prospective host cities about the evolution of sport in the USA and its future commercialisation.
Commenting on the summit, World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “Today we were delighted to welcome more than 30 amazing US cities and States who have expressed an interest in helping us create history with Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033. With an estimated 55 million fans in the US, 800,000 players and over 3,100 registered clubs, rugby is already very much alive and kicking in the US. United by rugby, we will be using the two tournaments to shine a spotlight on the men’s and women’s game to show the rest of the world what the US has to offer for rugby and how these two tournaments can help grow the game sustainably for the future.”
The summit came amid some significant sell-out fixtures taking place coast-to-coast in the US which demonstrate the strong fan-base in the country. On Friday, the USA will take on Scotland at Washington DC’s Audi Field in front of a packed crowd. A week later, on 19 July, Fiji will face New Zealand at San Diego’s SnapDragon Stadium in front of 35,000 fans.
World Rugby estimates the sport could generate US$80 billion in economic opportunities for the sport in the USA over the next 20 years, all of which would be reinvested to help grow the game further on a national and global basis.
Recently-appointed USA Rugby USA CEO, Bill Goren, was keen to stress the demand for rugby is already here: “The USA has the third highest number of rugby participants of any country on earth. To bring the world’s third biggest sporting tournament – the Rugby World Cup – to the world’s most passionate sports market is an opportunity that needs to be grasped with both hands to grow this fantastic game in the US.
“Using this as a catalyst to drive sustainable generational investment and growth for the game, rooted in grassroots participation in women’s and men’s rugby, beginning with colleges and the NCAA, is going to be our focus over the next decade and we’re confident the World Cups in 2031and 2033 will be the best-ever Rugby World Cups. Rugby fans will fall in love with the USA and the USA will fall further in love with rugby.”
Congressional Rugby Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Alex X. Mooney (R-WV), said: “As a former rugby player and founding member of the Congressional Rugby Caucus, it’s personally and professionally exciting to welcome World Rugby, Rugby USA and all the prospective host cities to Capitol Hill for this important tournament summit. The Men’s Rugby World Cup 2031 and the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2033 in the USA will be great sporting moments for our country and help with the development of a sport I, and so many other Americans, love. The Rugby Caucus will be supporting tournament organizers and host cities all the way as we look to develop the game and deliver an exceptional tournament for fans when the tournament begins.”
The USA won the hosting rights for the 2031 and 2033 tournaments in May 2022 when World Rugby laid out its 11-year hosting plans. England will host Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, and Australia will be the destination for Men's Rugby World Cup 2027 and Women's Rugby World Cup 2029. World Rugy also committed to ensuring thatW omen’s Rugby World Cup USA 2033 will be the first financially sustainable tournament in its history.
The US has a well-established history of hosting big ticket matches. In 2016, the US hosted one of the most high-profile games of the past decade – Ireland v New Zealand in Chicago in front of a crowd of 61,500. The World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup 2025 will also be an important staging post on the road to 2031 and 2033 as World Rugby looks to establish it on the global rugby calendar as one of the big three international competitions outsidof Rugby World Cup. USA will host Pacific Nations Cup conferences annually and alternate with Japan as finals hosts, creating certainty of high-quality international fixtures over the next decade that will drive audience growth.
The success of Men’s Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan confirmed the viability of holding the tournament outside the game’s ‘traditional’ strongholds and willingness of fans to travel and bring high value tourist dollars to the US. On several metrics it was the most successful Rugby World Cup to date, attracting new commercial sponsorships and revenue streams that continue to partner with rugby.
