Process to Choose Hosts of Rugby World Cup 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031 Begins

(31 Oct 2021) The process to determine future hosts of the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups has officially kicked off with the start of the Dialogue phase, enabling interested nations to start to shape bids.

The process, which involves three phases – Dialogue, Candidate and Evaluation, will determine hosts of the 2025 and 2029 women’s events, and the 2027 and 2031 men’s Rugby World Cups.

World Rugby’s will select the four future hosts at its Annual Meeting in May 2022 via an open electronic vote after considering a risk-based evaluation, rather than a recommendation. Multi-nation bids are being welcomed.

“Rugby World Cup is all about unity and this process marks a bold, best-practice approach for the sport. By awarding four hosts at the same time, the sport will have long-term strategic certainty, enabling us to advance commercial and broadcast partnerships and maximise revenue for reinvestment across our unions and the wider game,” said World Rugby Chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont. “It is also an accessible and inclusive process. It is important for everyone that the costs of bidding are minimised and therefore by jointly building bespoke bids we can ensure an approach that is good for nations and good for rugby, maximising participation, societal and economic returns for all.”

The last men's Rugby World Cup in 2019 attracted the biggest-ever domestic broadcast audience for a rugby match of more than 54 million and a participation boost of over 750,000, while a recent Nielsen study confirmed it delivered a significant boost to national pride. France is the host of Rugby World Cup 2023.

The ninth women’s Rugby World Cup is scheduled to take place this year in New Zealand between 18 September and 16 October 2021. Ireland hosted the event in 2017.

Rugby pictures: Pictures from 2019 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Pictures from 2018 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Pictures from 2017 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Pictures from 2016 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Pictures of Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2015, Pictures of the Asia Rugby Sevens Olympic Games Qualifier in Hong Kong, Pictures of Singha Thailand Sevens 2015, Pictures from the 2013 British & Irish Lions Tour in Hong Kong, Pictures of Hong Kong Sevens 2014, Pictures of Hong Kong Sevens 2013, Pictures of Chartis Cup 2012 and Pictures of Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2012.

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