USA Rugby to Compete in Expanded Pacific Nations Cup

USA Rugby will be in the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup that will take place later this year, the first time the Eagles are involved in the competition since 2019 as it will now be held annually.

The U.S. will take part in the six-nation men’s competition with Canada, Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. After a group stage containing one home and one away game for each of the six teams, the U.S. and Japan will take turns in hosting the finals of the competition held across two weekends, giving the sport more attention in the U.S. ahead of hosting the Men’s Rugby World Cup for the first time in 2031 and the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2033.

Two regional pools of three teams have been created, reducing the fatigue of long-distance travel and the competition’s carbon emissions in line with World Rugby’s Environmental Sustainability Plan 2030. Each team is guaranteed to play at least three matches in the competition with a minimum of one home fixture. The United States will be in Pool B with Canada and Japan, allowing USA Rugby to host Canada in Los Angeles during the last week of August.

“This is a massively exciting day for USA Rugby, as many years of hard work and collaboration comes together in an official schedule of events,” said USA Rugby Chief Executive Officer Ross Young. “Kicking off our Pacific Nations Cup campaign on home soil in Los Angeles will be a premier experience as we lay foundation for the finals series to be hosted here in 2025. We’re thrilled for the rugby community to join us in this new era of annual competition and opportunity for USA fans and partners alike.”

Fiji, Samoa and Tonga make up Pool A. The Pacific Nations Cup will culminate in a winner-takes-all finals series, taking place in Japan and USA in alternating years. Hosted in Japan for the first edition, all six teams will travel to Tokyo to either play in the fifth-place playoff or the semifinals between pool winners and pool runners-up on 14-15 September 14-15. The third-place playoff and final will be hosted in Osaka a week later on 21 September 21.

The rebranded cup competition will combine with the two-division global calendar competitions launching in 2026 to provide increased numbers of fixtures and commercial opportunities for the six participating nations ahead of the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia which will have an expanded field of 24 nations.

“The reimagined Pacific Nations Cup is an example of our mission in action,” said World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin. “The model supports welfare and also provides unprecedented certainty of fixtures for unions to help increase awareness, excitement and value, while the grand final in the USA every two years is at the heart of our strategy to grow rugby visibility, accessibility and relevance on the road to Rugby World Cup 2031 and 2033.”