Future RWC hosts to be decided by vote

WORLD Rugby yesterday approved recommendations by its World Cup board for a more transparent process of selecting hosts for future men’s and women’s editions of the tournament, including an open electronic vote with results published.

WR said it was decided that awarding hosting rights for the women’s 2025 and 2029 editions and men’s 2027 and 2031 editions would be through a vote following a riskbased technical evaluation.

Previously, WR could make its recommendations to the council members before hosting rights are awarded.

“These decisions reflect bestpractice in major sports event host selection and will ensure Rugby World Cup is accessible and attractive to a wide range of potential hosts,” WR said in a statement.

France will host the men’s World Cup in 2023, while New Zealand will stage the women’s event next year.

The process for selecting the next hosts will begin in February 2021 and conclude in May 2022.