The US is on course to be named in mid-May as host of the 2031 men’s Rugby World Cup and the women’s event in 2033 with a bid priced at half a billion dollars and support from the Biden White House, executives including World Rugby chief Alan Gilpin said on Thursday.
“We’re not talking to anybody else about Rugby World Cup hosting in 2031 and 2033,” Gilpin said. “It doesn’t mean it’s a done deal … but it means that we strategically believe we can deliver the right outcomes with this hosting plan.”
Australia is in similar dialogue regarding the men’s event in 2027. Asked about reports of problems, Gilpin said: “The short answer is there’ll be more news to come in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re down in Australia from the end of next week, addressing the outstanding issues with with our friends at Rugby Australia. So there’ll be more to come on that. In terms of contingencies, yes, lots of conversations going on around who’s capable of hosting and when and again, those are very strategic conversations rather than a competitive bid process.
“So [Australia] are our preferred candidate for 2027 and we expect to be in good shape in the discussions with them.”
For the US bid, which has shifted from an initial model of hosting the women in 2029 to the hope that a successful men’s event can drive engagement, the next big date is 12 May, when the World Rugby council will meet.
Gilpin spoke to reporters alongside Ross Young, chief executive of USA Rugby, the US bid chair, Jim Brown, and Emily Bydwell, US representative to the World Rugby Women’s Advisory Group.
Gilpin said: “The guys absolutely are making sure that we’ve got the different stakeholders from government through to city and state aligned as much as you can have this far out, and behind that we’ve got the confidence there that if we award these tournaments to the US, we’re on the right track.
“From my point of view, we stand up in front of all of the council on 12 May and we sell them the vision … and we give them the confidence that the numbers work and that the infrastructure and the the ingredients to deliver the plan are there. And then we move forward. And of course the really hard work starts on 13 May.
“This is just the end of the beginning. There’s a lot to do.”
The US men’s team have a lot to do on the field, having shipped 104 points to the All Blacks in October and needing to beat Chile for a place at the World Cup in France next year. Domestically, a professional competition, Major League Rugby, is in its fifth season.
Gilpin said on Thursday preparations for a US World Cup in 2031 would most likely include top international and club teams being brought in to play American opposition or each other, in an attempt to broaden the domestic audience.
Bydwell said women’s rugby was “really at an inflection point right now globally and in the US”, and pointed to the launch next year of WXV, a World Rugby event which will place international teams in three tiers, seeking to develop depth.
Brown put the cost of the joint bid between World Rugby and USA Rugby at around half a billion dollars. USA Rugby recently emerged from bankruptcy. Young and Gilpin said costs, profits and losses would be shared.
“We’re actually taking from a World Rugby perspective more risk,” Gilpin said. “But it’s calculated risk and it’s about using the events to drive growth. We therefore require less certainty and less risk-taking commitment from from a host … and that’s allowed us, particularly with USA Rugby, to have a different type of discussion.”
US-hosted Rugby World Cups would use NFL, college and MLS stadiums.
Brown said: “We have upwards of 28 cities interested in potentially hosting the Rugby World Cup, not only in ’31 but also ’33. We have great relationship with government. We have great relationships with stadiums and over 30 potential stadiums interested.”
Last week, Gilpin toured Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, home of the Broncos in NFL and a potential World Cup venue. Federal support was expressed earlier this month via a bipartisan resolution from the Congressional Rugby Caucus.
“The catchphrase that goes with the bid is being United by Rugby,” Young said, referring to the American game as much as to political divides.
“This is a big old geography, there are a number of different stakeholders that just aren’t as aligned as they should be for the growth of the game. So this is the opportunity to do that, to do that background work and create a plan that’s measurable and accountable.”
Asked if government support extended to the White House, where resides a self-proclaimed rugby player and fan, Joe Biden, Brown said: “We’re in regular dialogue with the White House and the deliverables related to meeting the requirements of hosting.
“There is support at the White House for both ’31 and ’33. All the guarantees that are required, namely, obviously visa and entry, tax-related requirements, and just general support from the government have been positive so far.”
Federal and state governments would also be involved in security arrangements.
“The expectation,” Brown said, “is to have a formal letter sent to World Rugby from the White House, which is also well on track and should be delivered by next week, confirming a full commitment by the federal government, which obviously then impacts state and city commitments as well.
“I think in this case, we have a unique situation of two [tournaments] which has been especially attractive to at least the staff of the White House that we’ve worked with.”
