Australia is set to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup after World Rugby this morning announced it was its “preferred candidate” to host the men’s tournament.
Australia had been up against the United States to win hosting rights but the Americans now seem likely to host in 2031 instead.
It will be the first time Australia has hosted the World Cup since 2003 when England beat the Wallabies in a thrilling final.
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“This is a huge step forward in our ambitions to host Rugby World Cup 2027 and for rebooting the game in Australia,” Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan said.
“Throughout this process, we’ve held the genuine belief the time was right to bring the Rugby World Cup back to our shores.
“The team at Rugby Australia have worked hard on this for a number of years and today’s announcement is great reward for those efforts … we’ve been able to get to a position where we can demonstrate to World Rugby that we’re a safe pair of hands and the obvious choice to host RWC 2027.
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“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and we’re now closer than ever before to making that dream a reality.”
RA will now work in an exclusive partnership with World Rugby to further develop the tournament model, ahead of a final World Rugby council vote in May next year.
“We now have the opportunity over the coming months to work with our colleagues at World Rugby to develop the optimal model for delivering Rugby World Cup 2027 in a way which will help foster the continued growth of the game not only in Australia, but in our region and globally,” RA chief executive Andy Marinos said.
“The hosting of the third biggest global sporting event will not only reposition Australia on the sporting map and deliver a boost to our economy but provide us with an opportunity to showcase once again our magnificent country…
“We’re conscious there is still much work to do and we certainly won’t be resting on our laurels.”
RA is projecting the tournament to attract more than two million fans across seven weeks, including 200,000 international visitors, and generate $2.5 billion in direct and indirect expenditure to the economy.