World Rugby is exploring plans to stage a Six Nations match in the United States ahead of the 2031 World Cup, offering financial incentives to participating unions. However, England has effectively ruled out participation to protect lucrative home fixtures at Twickenham, where men’s matches generate roughly £10m each.
World Rugby’s US Ambitions and the Six Nations Proposal
As rugby union’s global governing body prepares for the United States to stage the 2031 World Cup, officials are seeking to build commercial momentum Stateside.
The governing body has specifically pointed to an Ireland versus Italy fixture as a viable candidate for the experiment. Proponents argue that the east coast boasts large, established expatriate communities from both nations that could fill stadiums and drive immediate commercial interest. Taking a Six Nations match to America would be an altogether more significant move given how financially valuable home championship fixtures can be to the competing unions.
Alan Gilpin, World Rugby chief executive, via The Telegraph
World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin acknowledged that while home supporters in Europe might object to moving a traditional championship fixture away from its historic base, the economic reality of the sport demands new revenue streams.
Why England Has Ruled Out Playing Stateside
Any fixture relocation requires unanimous agreement among the Six Nations committee and tournament broadcasters, though ITV’s recent £1.6bn takeover by Sky, which is owned by the US telecoms giant Comcast, may help in that regard.
England can generate around £10m from a Six Nations home match. Furthermore, men’s fixtures at Twickenham account for approximately 85% of the Rugby Football Union’s total revenue.
Insiders note that taking a championship fixture to the US is considered very unlikely, all the more so due to its naming rights deal with Allianz – which stipulates a certain number of matches at Twickenham – and the likely consternation that would arise among fans and debenture holders. Insiders also point to how the RFU owns its home stadium whereas New Zealand and South Africa do not.
Precedent and Skepticism Around US Rugby Expansion
Staging major rugby union events in America is not entirely new. The United States previously hosted notable matches, including Ireland memorably beating the All Blacks for the first time when the teams met in front of a capacity 60,000-strong crowd at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2016, with a 2025 rematch proving a similar commercial success. New Zealand have also staged matches against the United States – a 104-14 victory in front of about 40,000 fans in Washington – and Fiji – a 47-5 win before 33,217 in San Diego – in the country over the past decade. Baltimore also hosts the fourth Test between South Africa and New Zealand on Saturday.
A failed attempt was made to attract the British & Irish Lions to stop in Las Vegas on the way to Australia in 2025, though England did face the USA in Washington that summer while the All Blacks and Ireland met in Chicago last autumn. The 2030 finals weekend of the Nations Championship has also been slated for the United States.
Yet experienced coaches remain cautious about whether the sport can easily capture the American sports market. England women’s head coach John Mitchell, who led the United States’ men’s team earlier in his career, emphasized the unique challenges posed by the country’s sports culture, stating: American sport is full of rivalries and I just don't think Americans adjust to new rivalries or new franchises compared to probably some of the other countries.
Mitchell also expressed reservations about pushing a Red Roses Six Nations match into a stateside fixture, emphasizing that the team’s visibility remains exceptionally strong within the existing European market. While World Rugby could support a stateside Six Nations game, the decision would lie with the competing teams, all of whom would be aware of the consternation that would come with transplanting a fixture thousands of miles away. The schedules for the 2027 editions of both the men’s and women’s tournaments have already been set.
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