Hosting rights for the next two men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups will be awarded within the same process as World Rugby attempt to build on the success of Japan 2019, the governing body announced on Thursday.
The announcement means the 2025 and 2029 women’s and 2027 and 2021 men’s World Cup events will be run by one host under the same conditions, commercial and broadcast partners in an attempt to grow the sport.
“The 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,” World Rugby chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont said in a statement.
“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.”
According to World Rugby, Japan’s Rugby World Cup generated £4.3 billion in economic activity and produced record engagement. The move aims to emphasise the “high return-on-investment” opportunities in both women’s and men’s rugby for nations.
The 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup is in New Zealand, and the men’s 2023 event is in France.