World Rugby is planning to hold a Six Nations game in the US after investing significantly in growing the sport stateside ahead of the 2031 Rugby World Cup.
A Six Nations match could be held in the US after proposals from World Rugby continue to be discussed.
The world governing body is seeking greater commercial opportunities in the US ahead of the 2031 Rugby World Cup, which is due to be held in America. World Rugby is already preparing for this by hosting South Africa and New Zealand’s fourth test match in Baltimore on 12 September.
Both South Africa and New Zealand are expected to earn £5m ($6.7m) more compared to the amount both teams would have earnt if the tie took place in South Africa.
Alan Gilpin, Chief Executive of World Rugby, has likened the Springbocks vs the All Blacks game in the US to a Six Nations game, and believes it could serve as an appetiser for European nations to make the similar trip to the US if the Six Nations board approves.
“It starts to show that (financial return) is not the barrier. So if there is the appetite to take some of these big matches in the future to the US, we can now,” Gilpin told The Telegraph.
“We completely understand (the) need for rugby to continue to drive more economic sustainability. Any of those unions (could) go and look at a match that they would have had at home and say, ‘right, can I at least match, if not better my own economics by partnering with World Rugby and taking that match to the US?’”
Would it be possible? And why England will not be involved
One of the Six Nation games being proposed is Italy vs Ireland, primarily due to the large expats and diasporas from both nations based in east coast cities such as New York and Boston.
World Rugby is proposing it would pay either country its loss for home gate revenue alongside the commercial revenue both teams would earn by competing in the US.
Some rugby union associations own their home grounds, and make a significant sum of gate revenue coming from ticket sales.
But the Irish Football Rugby Union does not wholly own the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, despite owning a controlling stake. The Italian Rugby Federation does also not own the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, and makes significantly less on gate revenue.
Tickets for the South Africa vs New Zealand game in Baltimore range from $64 to as high as $406 on tout site SeatGeek.
World Rugby is already staging the 2030 Nations Championship Final in the US, which comes after the British and Irish Lions competed in Washington last year.
However, one nation that appears likely not to compete in a Six Nations game in the US is England.
The English Rugby Football Union owns its home of the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham and has certain contractual obligations with the stadium’s title sponsor.
Due to this, the English RFU is expected to earn up to £10m from Six Nations home matches, with gate revenue accounting for 85% of the organisation’s revenues, according to The Guardian.
Allianz will also have a say as its contract with the English RFU stipulates a certain number of home matches to be played at the Allianz Stadium. Allianz took over as the title sponsor of the previously named Twickenham Stadium in 2024 as part of a 10-year, £100m sponsorship deal with the English RFU.
