The United States will continue as the host nation for the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup despite significant turmoil in the country’s domestic professional league, World Rugby has confirmed.

The US was announced as host for 2031 and 2033 in May 2022, when World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Today, we have approved three exceptional Rugby World Cup host nations – England, Australia and USA – providing unprecedented certainty and an unparalleled opportunity to accelerate the growth and impact of rugby globally”.

However, preparations for the historic tournament, which will be the first men’s Rugby World Cup held in the Americas—have been overshadowed by the dramatic collapse of Major League Rugby, the country’s professional rugby league.

In the following months after the 2025 season, NOLA Gold, Miami Sharks, Houston SaberCats and Utah Warriors announced they would not be taking part in the 2026 campaign. Additionally, San Diego Legion and RFC Los Angeles merged to create the California Legion, reducing the total number of teams to six.

The Houston SaberCats, one of MLR’s founding franchises, cited persistent financial losses as the reason for their withdrawal. Sources indicated the team had been losing millions of dollars, with financial struggles persisting well into their eighth season.

The league’s contraction represents a stunning reversal from its peak of 13 teams in 2022, now operating with fewer teams than it started with in 2018.

Despite these challenges, World Rugby has confirmed that 27 cities and areas have formally entered the Applicant Phase of the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2031 Host Selection Process, marking a major milestone on the journey to the first-ever Rugby World Cup hosted in the United States.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “The enthusiastic response from across the U.S. has been extraordinary. These cities and areas represent not only iconic sports destinations but also new, emerging, and existing rugby communities”.

The MLR crisis has sparked broader questions about rugby’s financial viability beyond major tournaments. A September 2025 report exposed rugby’s financial fragility, noting that outside of the Rugby World Cup, growth in the value of media rights has slowed significantly in recent years.

World Rugby insists the domestic league troubles will not derail World Cup preparations. Through a collaborative approach, World Rugby is building towards a sustainable rugby ecosystem in the U.S. that extends well beyond Rugby World Cup 2031 and the women’s edition in 2033, inspiring new generations of players and supporters.

As part of the hosting agreement, USA Rugby committed to grow membership to 450,000 members by the beginning of the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and drive significant investment in the game at the youth level.

President Biden voiced strong support for the bid in April 2022, and research revealed that 93 percent of rugby fans and 80 percent of sports fans support a United States-hosted Men’s or Women’s Rugby World Cup, with a projected 4.1 million fans expected to attend both tournaments.

With NFL and MLS stadiums across the country competing for hosting opportunities and robust infrastructure for large-scale events, World Rugby remains confident the US can deliver successful tournaments despite the domestic league’s struggles—though the collapse of MLR raises uncomfortable questions about the sport’s long-term sustainability in America beyond the World Cup spectacle.