President Joe Biden Expresses Support for USA Rugby World Cup bid

USA Rugby’s World Cup Bid Committee has submitted its final materials to World Rugby to complete its bid to host the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup, including a letter from President Joe Biden voicing strong support for the bid on behalf of the United States.

“We are honored and humbled that President Biden shares our optimism not only about hosting upcoming Rugby World Cup’s in the United States, but also about the vast potential the sport has in this country,” said USA Rugby World Cup Bid Chair Jim Brown. “The support of federal, state and local governments is fundamental to the successful planning and execution of a world-class event and this strong endorsement by the President marks a huge step forward in our plans to host incredible Rugby World Cup tournaments in the United States in 2031 and 2033.”

The President’s letter to World Rugby pledges his  full support, stating that “the United States strongly supports the effort to bring the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup Tournament and the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup Tournament (‘Tournaments’) to our country, and looks forward to working with Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) to help deliver the most successful Rugby World Cup’s in history.” President Biden’s letter assures World Rugby that the government will support RWCL in connection with hosting and will seek the enactment of legislation needed to organize and stage them. Additionally, the President noted that the United States will support “efforts associated with the Tournaments to promote the development of rugby in the United States and worldwide in a sustainable and humanitarian manner.”

With the final bid materials now submitted, the next step is for the World Rugby Council to vote on May 12. A Congressional resolution was introduced earlier this month, pledging Congress will give full consideration to legislative proposals or other requests to assist preparations for these principal events.

“USA Rugby and the USA Rugby World Cup Bid Committee are grateful to President Biden for the vote of support and to World Rugby for their thoughtful collaboration throughout the bid process, we now optimistically look forward to World Rugby’s final decision in less than a month,” said USA Rugby Chief Executive Officer Ross Young. “The potential to grow the sport of rugby in the United States is truly immense, and we’re all excitedly awaiting next steps should the U.S. be awarded the opportunity to host.”

USA Rugby took the first step toward earning the right to host the 2031 Rugby World Cup when the World Rugby Council voted to enter into an exclusive targeted dialogue phase with the national governing body in November. USA Rugby had been interested in hosting either in 2027 or in 2031, along with the Women’s 2029 Rugby World Cup. After announcing its intent to bid for the events, Young joined the SportsTravel Podcast and hinted that 2031 would potentially be a better year to host rather than 2027, since the earlier event would be held in between the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Summer Games, both in the United States.

“USA is absolutely primed to host exceptional Rugby World Cups and the productive meetings this week have reinforced that belief, “ said World Rugby Chief Executive Officer Alan Gilpin earlier this year. “The remodelled hosting strategy allows us for the first time to target nations that are central to rugby’s global growth objectives and the USA is at the very heart of that objective. If we want to be globally relevant and strong as a sport, we must look to the likes of the USA. We are excited by confirmation of USA’s candidature for a women’s event in 2033, which allows us to develop a long-term hosting and growth plan in partnership with USA Rugby and other stakeholders that will help the nation and North America realize its Rugby potential in every sense, which is in turn great for everyone in the game.”

In addition to the Presidential validation, also included in documents submitted to World Rugby were a list of cities and venues across the United States that have pledged official support for the bid in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding. The cities that plan to continue to pursue the opportunity to host matches in either or both Rugby World Cup tournaments include, but are not limited to:

• Atlanta, GA
• Austin, TX
• Baltimore, MD
• Birmingham, AL
• Boston, MA
• Charlotte, NC
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Denver, CO
• Houston, TX
• Kansas City, MO
• Los Angeles, CA
• Minneapolis, MN
• Miami, FL
• Nashville, TN
• New York/New Jersey
• Orlando, FL
• Philadelphia, PA
• Phoenix, AZ
• Pittsburgh, PA
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco Bay Area, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC

“The cities, stadiums and stakeholders across the United States that we’ve been working with us over the course of the last year have all shown incredible enthusiasm for hosting Rugby World Cup matches, and we’re grateful for their partnership and collaboration,” said Brown. “As we begin to zero in on how Rugby World Cup tournaments in the United States will come to life, we’re thrilled to be working with this elite group of sports commissions, venues and local governments in diverse and exciting cities from coast to coast.”