USA Rugby say they are confident of bringing the men's and women's Rugby World Cup to the country.
On Wednesday, they launched an official bid to host either the 2027 or 2031 men's World Cup, and the 2029 women's World Cup.
Neither tournament has ever been held Stateside. The closest either came, was neighbours Canada's hosting of the 2006 women's tournament.
"This is a proud moment as we introduce our vision for a Rugby World Cup on American soil,” said USA Rugby World Cup Bid Chair Jim Brown.
“After working on this for a year now, we are confident in the strength of this bid, the support around us, the cities and stadiums interested in hosting, our country’s top-level infrastructure for large-scale sports events and the opportunity the U.S. population of sports fans presents for rugby’s growth, both domestically and globally.”
News of the bids come just 19-months after USA Rugby filed for bankruptcy. At the time they cited "compounded and insurmountable financial constraints".
Several American cities have expressed an interest, or are being considered for the staging of World Cup games. Among them are Atlanta, Birmingham (Alabama), Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York/New Jersey.
Much as Ireland's famous win over the All Blacks came at Chicago Bears' home, Soldier Field, USA Rugby would tap into NFL stadiums' ability to host matches.
It's projected 3.1million fans could attend the 48 matches involved.
“After my experiences as a player with the USA National Team, I cannot imagine anything that would mean more to rugby players, fans and supporters than hosting a Rugby World Cup in the United States,” said World Rugby Hall of Fame Inductee and Women’s Sports Foundation President, Phaidra Knight.
“It’s clear that current U.S. rugby fans are excited about the potential of hosting Rugby World Cup events, and that fans of other sports are interested in learning more about rugby.
"These are two phenomenal groups we’re excited to bring together through this experience. Additionally, the United States boasts strong women’s sports infrastructure and interest, two things that are lacking globally, making us uniquely suited to host the 2029 Rugby World Cup.”
USA Rugby say their bid will continue to be "funded and resourced by investments from rugby stakeholders and supporters across the U.S."
World Rugby has a deadline of January 2022 for various bids.
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