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The four home nations are considering launching a joint bid to host the 2031 Rugby World Cup, The Guardian can reveal. World Rugby officially opened the process on Monday for the 2027 and 2031 tournaments and the four local unions are weighing a bid for the latter in the UK and Ireland.
The Rugby Football Union has been considering an offer for a while, but the prospect of joining forces with their Welsh, Scottish and Irish counterparts comes amid the financial backdrop of the pandemic. The benefits of hosting the tournament are obvious – the 2015 World Cup in England generated revenue of £ 228.1 million, but World Rugby requires a significant financial guarantee from the hosts.
When France submitted a bid for the 2023 tournament, their guarantee was £ 150 million, which was underwritten by the government, and the ability to share those costs would be an obvious benefit for a potential joint bid. Significantly, World Rugby said Monday at the beginning of the process that “multinational offers are welcome.” There has been no officially shared host of the tournament in the professional era, although when Wales was the main host in 1999, matches were organized in the home countries and in France.
An RFU spokesperson told The Guardian: “The four rugby unions in the UK and Ireland are considering the merits of a joint bid to host the [2031] Rugby World Cup. Collective discussions have yet to take place with government partners in the UK and Ireland and a decision on the tender has not yet been made. “
World Rugby has overhauled its bidding process after the embarrassment suffered when South Africa was recommended for the 2023 World Cup, only for France to prevail in a secret ballot. Ireland was also in the running and was frustrated with Scotland for not providing support, but it appears that the two unions have reconciled to the extent that they are willing to discuss a shared offer.
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The four home nations may even have a bit of a test run by hosting a big event this summer if the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa moves to the UK and Ireland. The United States is expected to bid for the 2031 tournament, while Australia is the favorite to host the 2027 edition.
The first step of the bidding process has been described by World Rugby as the “dialogue phase” for communication between unions and governments before interested parties formalize their bids and submit “candidate dossiers” with agreements and guarantees next January. . Starting in February 2022, bids will be evaluated against criteria agreed upon by the World Rugby council, which will then select the winners by vote in May next year.
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