Ruling body to unveil hosts for five World Cups

THE destination of five World Cups will be confirmed today when the World Rugby Council vote in Dublin on host countries for the upcoming tournaments.

While France are geared up to welcome nations from across the globe in 2023, there are several other key decisions to be made for the men’s and women’s editions in the years to follow.

England are frontrunners to host the 2025 Women’s World Cup while Australia look set to host the 2027 Men’s World Cup and the women’s showpiece two years later.

The USA is set to be awarded the 2031 and 2033 editions in a move that would help grow the sport in the country.

President Joe Biden expressed his support for USA Rugby’s bid last month with a letter which was part of material submitted ahead of today’s World Rugby Council meeting in Ireland, where a vote followed by a press conference to announce the respective hosts will take place.

USA international Nick Civetta will be long retired by the time the 2031 World Cup comes around, but he insists his current team-mates have a big role to play in America’s bid.

The United States face Chile in a two-legged qualifier in July to decide who will qualify for the 2023 World

Cup in France. Civetta recently helped Oxford University to Varsity success at Twickenham and believes it is imperative USA are represented in France next year.

He told the PA news agency: “We are massively looking forward to the opportunity to qualify this summer and there is a huge amount of energy that will go into that. In the long term obviously it would be massive to get the World Cup. The amount of investment that could flow into the sport in the US during that time frame and the opportunity is massive.

“It comes at a time when the Major League Rugby - MLR - is growing, the quality of play is increasing every week and the visibility.”

Former Newcastle and Doncaster second row Civetta recently returned across the Atlantic to link up with Rugby New York, who ply their trade in the MLR - North America’s professional division.

While the MLR remains in its infancy, it is part of a long-term strategy to grow rugby in the USA and heavily linked to the 2031 and 2033 World Cup bids. Critics of handing the tournament to a tier-two nation remain but Civetta feels a transformation of the sport akin to what has happened in Japan, hosts of the most recent World Cup, may occur.