USA formally accepted as World Cup hosting candidate

USA Rugby has been formally accepted as a candidate to host an upcoming Rugby World Cup. A feasibility study that began in August of last year has been completed with a bid proposal now to be submitted in January 2022, part of a process to determine hosting rights for RWC’s 2027, 2029, and 2031.

The 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens took place in San Francisco but the USA has never hosted the Men’s or Women’s XVs tournaments. Canada were hosts for the Women’s XVs World Cup in 2006.

While the new ‘integrated’ bidding process considers submissions for all three tournaments at the same time, it’s the Women’s event in 2029 and Men’s event in 2031 that are of particular interest to the USA. Australia is widely expected to be named host for the 2027 Men’s tournament.

Jim Brown is the Chair of the USA Rugby World Cup Bid. He has previously served as Managing Director to the successful FIFA 2026 World Cup Bid Committee.

“In August, we set out to do a full evaluation and expert analysis to answer a question long asked, can the United States host a Rugby World Cup? The process was an undertaking; however, we are delighted to confirm that the US could not only meet the technical requirements of hosting the men’s and women’s events, but also reach new levels of team and fan experience. We look forward to sharing results with the USA Rugby community and begin this journey towards rugby’s biggest stage.”

At this stage Rugby Canada is not part of the bidding process but in conversation with the Guardian’s Martin Pengelly, Brown noted that Canadian venues could still be considered for both 2029 and 2031. A final decision on hosting rights for all three tournaments will be made in May 2022.