World Rugby Revives U.S. Expansion Talks Ahead of 2031 World Cup

World Rugby is revisiting discussions to fund its expansion in the U.S. ahead of the 2031 men's and 2033 women's World Cups. The sports body is exploring investment opportunities, potentially involving private equity firms, to bolster rugby's presence in the U.S., though no formal deals are finalized yet.

World Rugby, the governing body of rugby union, is once again pursuing talks to secure funding for its American expansion plans, insiders revealed. These efforts align with its goals to boost the sport's prominence ahead of the 2031 and 2033 World Cup events scheduled in the United States.

Sources indicate that Dublin-based World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin is steering these efforts, with considerations to either establish a new league or enhance existing ones using the capital raised. This comes after initial plans in 2021, which involved selling a stake in the World Cup commercial rights, fell through.

The involvement of private equity firms such as Providence and KKR is under discussion, as the body evaluates strategies like issuing debt for fundraising. However, these discussions are in the exploratory phase, with no formal agreements reached, and any future deal will require approval from World Rugby's 132 national federations.

(With inputs from agencies.)