What happened when rugby’s greatest nations landed in Baltimore? Lots of World Cup learnings
The New York Times • • sports
Key Points:
- World Rugby differentiates itself from FIFA through a partnership-focused approach, with the Maryland Sports Commission praising World Rugby's willingness to collaborate and listen, contrasting with the tensions many U.S. cities experienced hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026.
- FIFA generated $15 billion in revenues from the 2026 World Cup but left U.S. host cities bearing significant costs for infrastructure, security, and event management, leading to public criticism and calls for a more equitable revenue-sharing model for future tournaments, including the 2031 Women's World Cup.
- Observing FIFA's successes and challenges, World Rugby plans to host its 2031 men's and 2033 women's World Cups in the U.S., emphasizing accessible ticket pricing, fan engagement like tailgating, and strategic placement of matches to leverage diaspora communities and maximize attendance.
- Despite rugby's relatively nascent status in the U.S. sports market and scheduling conflicts with major American sports, World Rugby aims to grow its fan base by hosting marquee events, improving stadium infrastructure, and fostering partnerships with cities and venues, while ensuring grass pitches and appropriate field dimensions.
- World Rugby intends to adopt a flexible, collaborative approach with host cities, seeking mutually beneficial arrangements that balance commercial interests with local capabilities, contrasting FIFA’s more rigid demands, and hopes to capitalize on cross-sport fan engagement opportunities with the NFL.
