CAPE TOWN - World Rugby on Thursday announced that it will award hosting rights to its next two men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups within the same process.
The organisation gave details of the timeline and phases that will determine the hosts of the following tournaments:
* 2025 and 2029 women’s tournaments
* the 2027 and 2031 men’s events.
The decision means that, or the first time, Rugby will have a 10 year strategic hosting roadmap maximising certainty for member unions, commercial partners, broadcasters and fans, providing the opportunity to develop an integrated legacy that delivers meaningful and sustainable strategic participation and fan growth.
The announcement follows the announcement that Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan was the most economically-impactful Rugby World Cup ever, generating £4.3 billion in economic activity and delivering record broadcast and fan-engagement outcomes, placing Japan firmly on the major event hosting map.
Recognising the impact of Covid-19, World Rugby highlighted a three-phase model which will launch in February 2021 and culminate with the selection of the four hosts at World Rugby’s annual meeting of Council in May 2022 as follows:
February 2021 – Dialogue Phase:
An opportunity for open communication between World Rugby and unions, governments and other key stakeholders.
May 2021 – Candidate Phase:
The formal process begins. Candidates will construct their proposals with World Rugby providing ongoing clarification and support to ensure the best-possible model. The phase culminates with candidates submitting Candidate files, hosting agreements and guarantees in January 2022.
February 2022 – Evaluation Phase:
Bids will be evaluated by relevant industry experts against the key criteria agreed by World Rugby Council. The evaluation report will be provided to Council for a vote in May 2022.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “The global Covid-19 pandemic, while incredibly challenging, has provided the opportunity to press the reset button and examine how we can do things differently and better.
“This ground-breaking dual awarding process reflects our vision to further align the selection process of our men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups, providing longer-term certainty in terms of preparation and partnership with World Rugby for future hosts, maximising legacy, sustainability and engagement outcomes.”
Staff Reporter