Megan Rose appointed managing director of 2031 men’s Rugby World Cup in US
World Rugby on 21 October 2026 named Megan Rose, a former American tennis player and United States Tennis Association executive, as managing director of the 2031 men’s Rugby World Cup, which will be held in the United States for the first time. Rose said: “Rugby World Cup is one of the iconic events in global sport, defined by unforgettable moments on the pitch and the passion of fans around the world. To be entrusted with bringing Men’s Rugby World Cup to the United States for the first time is an extraordinary honour, and I’m thrilled to join this team.”
Rose’s résumé cited by World Rugby includes five-time collegiate All American honours from the University of Miami and a national indoor championship, experience on the WTA Tour, and a stint coaching Princeton to an Ivy League women’s tennis championship. She subsequently worked for the WTA and the USTA, becoming “managing director of major events and team leader for USA Olympic Tennis.” Measures vary but on a world scale, the Rugby World Cup is generally placed third in size and prestige behind the Fifa World Cup and the Olympic Games. World Rugby confirmed Australia will host the next two Rugby World Cups — the men’s tournament in 2027 and the women’s in 2029 — with the United States scheduled to stage the men’s event in 2031 and the women’s in 2033.
On the appointment, Rose added: “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring millions more Americans into the game and create a lasting impact for rugby in this country. I look forward to working closely with USA Rugby, and the clubs, players, supporters, and stakeholders who have built rugby across the United States, alongside the global rugby community, to deliver an incredible Rugby World Cup and build something that lasts well beyond 2031.”
World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin described Rose as “an outstanding leader with a proven track record of delivering world-class sporting events and driving innovation. She joins us at a pivotal moment as our US project enters its next phase – an appointment that reflects the scale of our ambition. Her experience, vision and deep understanding of the US sports landscape make her ideally placed to deliver a defining chapter for rugby in the United States and around the world.”
In its announcement, World Rugby also stated: “With more premium match content being played in the US than ever before, 25 highly engaged cities involved in the applicant process and stakeholder engagement building and fan and media interest continuing to grow, the US is poised to provide an unprecedented stage for Rugby World Cups that will redefine the sport’s future and support the ambitions of its global growth strategy.”
Rose’s appointment came a little more than a month after more than 68,000 fans travelled to Baltimore, Maryland, to see South Africa’s men beat New Zealand in the fourth Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, an attendance record for rugby union on US soil. Smaller-scale internationals will be played this weekend in Nashville, Tennessee, where the US Eagles women will face Italy before the Eagles men take on an Australia XV.
The following weekend in New Jersey, the Eagles women will play England, the world champions, while the men face the Australians again. Domestically, World Rugby noted, Major League Rugby has survived since 2018 but is now down to just five teams after a series of failures, with a possible sixth entrant for 2027 mooted but not confirmed, and Women’s Elite Rugby has just five teams. The US college game was described as having deeper roots and greater strength than generally known but being politically split and subject to steep challenges in funding and facilities, realities that have fuelled skepticism about whether a US World Cup can boost the game nationally.
Those practical concerns sit alongside recent international results: the US Eagles men failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup in France but will compete in Australia next year, and in England last year the Eagles women fielded Ilona Maher yet failed to get out of their pool. With those fixtures and the growing schedule of premium matches in the US, World Rugby and participating unions have expressed confidence in the country’s capacity to host the 2031 tournament.