- World Rugby announces new strategy with a vision of “powering rugby, uniting the game and enriching lives”
- New strategy has a core purpose of bringing people and rugby together through iconic events, impactful investment and leadership and support for member unions
- Strategy seeks to futureproof rugby within the context of a challenging global socio-economic environment and unlock the potential of the sport on and off the field
- Six-year plan culminates in Men’s Rugby World Cup 2031 hosted in the USA, the world’s biggest sport market
World Rugby has launched a bold new six-year strategy to unite rugby and grow investment into the sport.
A plan by the game, for the game, it sets out a clear, ambitious, and realistic plan to ensure rugby continues to thrive within a rapidly changing global sports and entertainment environment.
World Rugby’s vision for investing in rugby is built around three pillars:
- Iconic events
- Impactful investment
- Leadership and support of our members
Each pillar includes measurable targets and long-term aspirations aimed at setting the sport up for success beyond the lifecycle of the strategy.
The new strategic approach was led by World Rugby’s Executive Board following wide-ranging consultation with member unions, regions and other key stakeholders, and was unanimously approved by the World Rugby Council in September 2025.
It is expressly designed to address the biggest challenges and opportunities facing rugby in an evolving landscape – financial sustainability and growing rugby’s relevance and impact.
The strategy encapsulates men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in Australia in 2027 and 2029 respectively, and culminates with Men’s Rugby World Cup 2031 hosted in the USA, with World Rugby targeting a surplus of more than US$1 billion from that RWC to power rugby worldwide.
The USA is a powerful beacon for an ambitious growth markets development plan that will see World Rugby partner with unions and invest £200 million in the US in the lead up to 2031 aimed at unlocking rugby’s potential within the world’s biggest sports market.
With World Rugby investing more in the game than ever before, the strategy will be supported by a more agile, efficient and resilient governing body.
The strategy will also guide how World Rugby invests in the game and pivot its investment approach to generate impact where the game needs it most, supporting new strategic competitions such as the World Rugby Nations Cup and WXV Global Series, aimed at growing impact, value and competitiveness, and recognition of the women’s game as a growth, impact and value accelerant. It will also ensure a fan-focused approach to developing the game, while maintaining an unwavering commitment to player welfare advancement.
The international federation is moving away from a differentiated high-performance funding model which supports preparation for its iconic Rugby World Cups and towards one which rewards qualification for and performance in those competitions.
Alongside this, the overall participation fee for Men’s Rugby World Cup will more than double from 2031 onwards, while also rewarding the teams that progress furthest into the tournament.
The full World Rugby Strategy can be read here >>
WATCH: World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson explain the impact of the new strategy
Welcoming the launch, World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “The next few years will be really exciting for the game of rugby. We have a fantastic sport, incredible players and fans and real impact opportunities ahead, particularly with landmark Rugby World Cups in the USA on the horizon.
“Driven by a clear and purposeful new strategy, we can work with our members to set the sport up for success like never before, unlocking the full potential of Rugby World Cups by focusing on a game that is fan and player centric, exciting to play and watch, investing impactfully where the sport needs it most, harnessing the power of the women’s game and providing strong expertise and values-focused leadership and support for our members.
“There will be changes in the way that we operate, invest and approach the sport, and whilst rugby isn’t famous for embracing change, I’m certain that come 2031 the whole sport will reap the benefits of what we’re putting in place today.”
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin added: “We are grateful to the Executive Board, unions, regions, competitions and World Rugby staff who have helped design and shape a clear strategy which tells the game exactly what to expect from their international federation over the next few years.
“With a new vision of powering rugby, uniting the game and enriching lives, World Rugby stands ready to take our sport to new levels over the coming six years in partnership with our members and key stakeholders.”
