Megan Rose to Lead First Men’s Rugby World Cup in the U.S. in 2031

World Rugby has appointed Megan Rose as managing director of the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2031 in the United States — the first edition of the event to ever be staged in North America.

Rose, a former professional tennis player, will be tasked with leading delivery planning for the sport’s most ambitious Rugby World Cup to date. The 2031 tournament will take place two years before the Women’s Rugby World Cup returns to North America in 2033, for the first time since the 2006 edition in Canada.

As of November 1, 25 cities are progressing through the Rugby World Cup 2031 applicant phase, which is scheduled to take place over the next six to nine months. It has not been confirmed which cities remain in the running, though an announcement about the final host cities for the tournament is expected in the latter half of next year.

Both NFL and MLS stadiums are being considered to host Rugby World Cup games in 2031 and 2033. Last year, 27 cities/areas, featuring 33 venues, submitted signed Letters of Intent to continue in the selection process for the Men’s Rugby World Cup, including: Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Birmingham, Alabama; Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Glendale, Arizona; Houston, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles Region, California; Miami, Florida; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans, Los Angeles; New York/New Jersey; Orlando, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Diego, California; San Francisco Bay Area, California; Seattle, Washington; St. Louis, Missouri; Vancouver (Canada); and Washington, D.C.

Phoenix, rather than Glendale, Arizona, is the other potential host city being considered for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2033.

Among those figures, 11 were venues at the 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup in North America, and between 12 and 14 cities are due to stage games at the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2031.

Successful Bids

The World Rugby Council unanimously voted to select the United States to host both the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2031 and Women’s Rugby World Cup 2033 back in 2022. Both Dallas and Austin in Texas stated an initial interest in being host cities for the tournaments, but reportedly withdrew due to high financial burdens and stadium availability concerns due to overlapping NFL (e.g. Dallas Cowboys games) and college football calendars.

USA Rugby had previously submitted bids to host the Men’s Rugby World Cup in either 2027 or 2031, and the women’s in 2029. Instead, Australia won the right to host the men’s tournament in 2027 and its first edition for women two years later.

The tournament will adopt the same 24-team format that is also being used for the 2027 edition in Australia next year. In total, there will be six pools (groups) consisting of four teams and a Round-of-16 before the Quarter Finals, with 52 matches being played over a six-week period.

The dates for the tournament have not yet been announced, though the competition usually takes place between September and October. However, that could cause scheduling conflicts with the scheduling of NFL, MLS and MLB games during their seasons, while the United States is also hosting the 2031 Women’s FIFA World Cup over the summer months.

Rose’s Background

Rose previously worked for the United States Tennis Association, where she led major events such as the US Open Series, Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, served as team leader for Team USA Olympic Tennis at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games, and integrated professional wheelchair tennis into able-bodied operations.

In the last two years, she also helped to build and launch USTA Coaching, a national coach education and support initiative launched by the USTA to unify, standardize and elevate tennis coaching across the United States.

Her appointment coincided with last month’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series final test between South Africa and New Zealand in Baltimore, Maryland, which drew in a record attendance for a rugby match in North America of 68,000.

Expanding Rugby’s Footprint in North America

World Rugby sees both the Men’s and Women’s tournaments as opportunities to grow the sport’s participation, audiences and commercial revenues in the country.

“Rugby World Cup is one of the iconic events in global sport, defined by unforgettable moments on the pitch and the passion of fans around the world,” said Rose. “To be entrusted with bringing Men’s Rugby World Cup to the United States for the first time is an extraordinary honour, and I’m thrilled to join this team.

“This tournament represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring millions more Americans into the game and create a lasting impact for rugby in this country. I look forward to working closely with USA Rugby, and the clubs, players, supporters, and stakeholders who have built rugby across the United States, alongside the global rugby community, to deliver an incredible Rugby World Cup and build something that lasts well beyond 2031.”

“The USA represents one of the most exciting growth opportunities in global sport, and Rugby World Cups 2031 and 2033 have the potential to transform rugby’s profile and reach on an unprecedented scale,” said World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin. “Megan is an outstanding leader with a proven track record of delivering world-class sporting events and driving innovation.

“She joins us at a pivotal moment as our U.S. project enters its next phase – an appointment that reflects the scale of our ambition. Her experience, vision and deep understanding of the U.S. sports landscape make her ideally placed to deliver a defining chapter for rugby in the United States and around the world.”

Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027

The Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia will be the first to feature 24 teams (up from the 20 that competed in the previous edition in France in 2023) participating in six pools of four. It is also the first edition to have been branded as the Men’s Rugby World Cup (as opposed to simply the Rugby World Cup) and to feature a last-16 knockout round in its schedule.

World Rugby says that the expanded format is designed to break down barriers and make the game more accessible to fans around the world.

The event, taking place from October 1 to November 13, 2027, will be staged in eight stadiums across seven cities in Australia: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide; Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane; Docklands Stadium, Melbourne; Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle; Perth Stadium, Perth; Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney; and North Queensland Stadium, Townsville.

Five venues that hosted games at the last Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2003 remain on the list, including Adelaide Oval and Brisbane Stadium.

The United States has been drawn in Pool E alongside France, Japan and Samoa — a group in which the top two teams will automatically advance and the third-placed team could progress as one of the four top-ranked third-placed teams.

The Men’s National Team will begin its campaign against France in Melbourne on October 2, before traveling to Perth to play Samoa on October 9 and then heading to Adelaide to face Japan on October 15.