England will be hoping to host the Rugby World Cup for the first time since 2015 with discussions within the RFU taking place regarding a potential bid for the 2031 event.
The Rugby Football Union had previously detailed a joint bid with Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but new chairman Tom Ilube has now made it clear that England will be seeking sole hosting rights for rugby’s showpiece event.
The official bidding process commenced in January of this year and the RFU will be hoping to use the success of the 2015 World Cup, where they generated £228 million in revenue, as a key factor in bringing the World Cup back to England 16 years on.
France will be the hosts in 2023 while Australia are the clear favourites for 2027. It already seems like a two-way battle for the 2031 hosting rights between the United States and England. The successful nations will be announced in May 2022.
New RFU chairman Ilube said: “We would like to bid for the 2031 World Cup.
“It would be really exciting to have it here and you could imagine what it would be like. That really gives us a focus as well. We will see what happens, it will be interesting.
“It’s not happening yet, but it’s something that we’re really interested in discussing and engaging with the process.”
