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Australia shaping as front runner to host 2027 World Cup with USA primed for 2031 tournament
The Rugby World Cup could be set to return to the southern hemisphere for the first time in 16 years as Australia appears to lead the race as favourites to host the tournament in 2027.
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Additionally, the ground-breaking prospect of the United States as a potential host nation has also emerged, with the world’s 17th-ranked union reportedly eyeing to hold the event in 12 years’ time.
Rugby Australia have already indicated their interest in hosting the 2027 tournament, as former chief executive Bill Pulver announced the union’s intentions on hosting the event two years ago.
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Joining them in the race to hold the tournament is Argentina and Russia, while other nations such as South Africa and the United States have been speculated as potential bidders.
The host nations for both the 2027 and 2031 tournaments will be announced by World Rugby next November, and given that the 2023 World Cup will be held in France – making them the third consecutive nation to hold the spectacle in the northern hemisphere – a move south of the equator could very well be on the table.
Speaking to the BBC, Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said that makes Australia an attractive proposition as a host country given their prominence within the global rugby landscape.
Former England and Northampton skipper Dylan Hartley gets the last word in online after retiring https://t.co/PSQkYddFL8
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 8, 2019
“You would think 2027 would need to go somewhere southern hemisphere,” he said.
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“Australia is a really important rugby nation, who have had some financial challenges.
“Anything that World Rugby can do to support the game in Australia would be supported by all of us, I think.”
Holding a World Cup in Australia could have the potential to spur a revival of rugby in the country, which has faced a number of challenges on and off the field in recent years.
Those issues contributed to the Wallabies’ dismal 2019 World Cup campaign, where they were dumped out of the competition in a 40-16 quarter-final defeat at the hands of England.
The side’s outgoing head coach Michael Cheika said during the tournament that Australia would “kill it” if his country was given the responsibility of holding the World Cup for a third time, after co-hosting the 1987 event and acting as sole hosts in 2003.
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“If there’s one [thing] we like to do at home and that’s put on a good show; we’ve got so many sports fans there,” he said last month.
“It was 2003 wasn’t it, the one in Australia? A great place for people, I feel like I’m working for the tourism board here, but it’s a place you want to come for a holiday, too.
“The players won’t be coming for a holiday but the spectators [would love it], and you’ve seen how many there are in all the stadiums.
“If I lived overseas and I was a foreigner, it would be the one place I’d want to go to watch a World Cup, that’s for sure…it’d be big for the whole game if the World Cup was played in Australia, without a doubt.”
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Hosting the 2027 tournament in the southern hemisphere could also spell good news for South Africa, who put forward hosting right bids for the 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 events, but to no avail.
Buoyed by the Springboks’ recent World Cup glory, the South African Rugby Union are said to be considering yet another bid for one of the next two tournaments, but no confirmation of an official application has yet been heard.
While it’s unlikely that the USA will hold the World Cup in 2027 due for the need for the tournament to return to the southern hemisphere, an application for the 2031 event could see them become the first country in the Americas to hold the spectacle.
Hosting the World Cup four years later would also the tournament avoid being sandwiched between the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the USA is set to co-host alongside Canada and Mexico, and the 2028 Olympic Games, to be held in Los Angeles.
World Rugby is desperate to tap into the lucrative North American market, and following the success of Japan in becoming the first Asian country to hold a World Cup this year, it seems inevitable that the USA will be involved as a host nation in the coming years.
Waiting an additional four years for the tournament to be held in the United States would allow for rugby to develop and hype around the event to build for longer, with Sweeney adding to the BBC that there was “a massive opportunity for the game to kick off” in the country.
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Comments on RugbyPass
A long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates live or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is hear and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
2 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
2 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to comments