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New Club World Cup gets go ahead for 2028 and 2032
By Owain Jones
Chairman of the EPCR (European Professional Club Rugby) Dominic McKay has confirmed to RugbyPass that plans for a Club World Cup in 2028 and 2032 have been ratified after a board meeting with the game’s stakeholders in the Welsh capital.
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Buoyed by 108,000 rugby fans descending on Cardiff over the weekend, McKay said: “We have been developing a plan over the last two years and we’re now in a place where we feel really comfortable about accelerating that project.”
McKay said that buy-in has been given by both hemispheres: “We’ve got alignment from our shareholders in Europe and South Africa and alignment with our stakeholders who partner with us in the Southern Hemisphere and we’re thrilled to say that we will launch a Club World Cup.”
While McKay said there is still work to do, he is thrilled with the direction of travel. “It’s a special moment for the history of professional rugby that our board and shareholders want to accelerate this project. Now it’s over to our teams to bring that magic to life.”
The Club World Cup will take place over four back-to-back weekends in June 2028 and 2032, in what McKay is calling “the greatest global competition in the world.”
In principle, the tournament will comprise 16 teams spanning two hemispheres, with games being played in Europe, in “box-office” cities and stadia that are yet to be announced.
Previous reports have indicated that the top eight Champions Cup sides, alongside six Super Rugby Pacific sides and two further sides—potentially from Japan—are set to battle it out for the bragging rights of calling themselves the world’s best team.
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McKay is keen to stress that the congested rugby calendar will not be impacted and that weekends have been found within the current structure. “The focus on these four weekends will be on professional club rugby, in the same way we enjoy the Rugby World Cup at international level. The clubs have been at the heart of all of our thinking. We’re keen to add something special into the mix once every four years that we know the fans, players and clubs want.”
Along with PRL (Premiership Rugby Limited), the URC (United Rugby Championship) and their French counterparts being aligned, McKay says “talks are well advanced” with broadcasters and sponsors. “We’re very pleased with the feedback from our sponsor family, new and old, and broadcasters, both the incumbents [Premier Sports] and new.”
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