SportsTravel

The inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup will be staged in Cary and Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as Denver, among several international destinations. Denver will host the USA Eagles vs. Portugal at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on July 4. Charlotte will host the U.S. team vs. Zimbabwe at American Legion Memorial Stadium on July 11. And the Cary event on July 18 will feature the U.S. team against Spain at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.

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Other matches will be staged in Winnipeg and Edmonton in Canada, as well as other international destinations.

The events were announced by World Rugby, USA Rugby and TEG Rugby Live.

World Rugby Nations Cup will feature the 12 unions that qualified for the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027. The schedule intends to balance geographic spread, player welfare, logistics cost and developmental opportunity while providing unions with commercial opportunities.

“Consistent competition for our senior national teams continues to be a primary goal at USA Rugby, as we look to grow on the global stage,” said USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren. “The World Rugby Nations Cup and these first three fixtures at home are excellent opportunities for our Men’s Eagles, and for USA fans to gather around them. With the series kicking off during our national holiday, we’re thrilled to play as the USA and celebrate with our rugby community.”

Two Pools of Play

The 12 participating unions will compete in two pools of six, designed to offer a consistent calendar across the July and November international windows. Pool A – Americas & Pacific pool – will feature Canada, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, Uruguay and the United States. Pool B – Europe, Asia and Africa pool – features Georgia, Hong Kong China, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Zimbabwe.

All matches will be available to U.S. viewers on Paramount+ and globally on RugbyPass TV.

North Carolina Connection

“We’re excited to welcome international rugby back to WakeMed Soccer Park for the first time since 2015,” said Cary’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Director John Collins. “This is such a versatile facility and our staff does an incredible job supporting a wide range of events from professional soccer and NCAA championships to festivals, high school football and youth sports. And what makes it all work is that our community really shows up.”

Hill Carrow, CEO of the Triangle Sports Commission, and chair and CEO of the 2029 World University Games, said the state’s role in the university event helped land the rugby event.

“Thanks to our working relationship on the 2029 World University Games, Patrick Stack of Anthem Rugby reached out to me to get the local process started for hosting this exciting international rugby event in Cary,” Carrow said. “With the experience of the Triangle Sports Commission in having hosted the 2015 Rugby Olympic Qualification Tournament and 2016 USA Rugby 7s Collegiate Nationals at WakeMed, combined with our goal of making this a test event for the World University Games rugby competition, the World Rugby Nations Cup promises to be a tremendous event for our region and state.”

“Hosting a World Rugby Nations Cup event at WakeMed Soccer Park places Cary at the center of the sport’s widespread growth and global excitement,” said Scott Dupree, executive director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. “It also reinforces the region’s reputation as one of the nation’s premier destinations for major sporting events.”