Rugby Has a Plan to Get Americans Excited About the Other World Cup
The tournament is the third-most-popular sports event in the world. Will the US get on board when it comes stateside in 2031?
Most American sports fans probably aren’t aware that the third-biggest athletic competition in the world is underway in France: the men’s Rugby World Cup.
Trailing only the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games for audience reach and sponsorship, the rugby tournament has exploded in scale since its introduction in 1987. The 2019 tournament, in Japan, sold a record 99% of tickets and drew a cumulative TV audience of more than 800 million. This year’s competition is playing out to packed stadiums in cities such as Paris, Bordeaux, Marseilles and Nice. The teams range from established giants, such as South Africa, to this year’s surprise package, Fiji.