Rugby has some of the most dedicated fans in the world. Whether they stick to rugby league or rugby union, they’re likely all-in on their favorite teams and leagues. Despite still being considered a ‘niche’ sport in some regions, rugby interest spans the world—from South Africa to New Zealand to France.
Still, despite having some incredibly dedicated fanbases and tournaments that span the globe, rugby isn’t quite on par with a sport like football. But could that change over the next decade? Over the last five years, rugby has experienced incredible lows and highs—but a look at recent data highlights that interest in the sport is mounting worldwide.
One sign that rugby interest is here to stay is its coverage from online betting sites. Though most fans focus on rugby league, most oddsmakers offer lines on both rugby league and rugby union. Fans can wager on matches, larger tournaments, and championships with lines on the outright winner.
Attention from sportsbooks is definitely one way to onboard new fans, and also to give long-time supporters a way to engage. But some publications, like Sportico, are forecasting huge expansion for rugby—and possibly a future that sees way more action from sportsbooks, fans, and analysts alike. Here’s why.
Building on 2019’s Expansion
Back in 2019, World Rugby and Nielsen published a major report on the global state of rugby titled ‘Global Reach of Rugby 2019’. The white paper outlined recent growth in rugby interest. Some of the figures were astounding. For example, the number of rugby followers grew 11% from 2018 to 2019 for a total of 877 million fans worldwide.
Of those 877 million fans, 405 million claimed to be regular fans and another 126 million claimed to be avid fans. Both of these figures had ballooned from the previous year, marking not just growth in the rugby audience but also their degree of interest in rugby.
The study was conducted over 36 global markets. Along with a boost in rugby interest, the report also concluded that its largest-growing sector was female fans. From 2018 to 2019, rugby saw a 29% increase in female fans. And for any sport, leveraging half of the population is a positive sign of growth.
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Growing Pains in the US
The study outlined above highlighted a sunny future for the sport. Unfortunately, the growth seen from 2018 to 2019 came to a screeching halt in 2020. Since then, rugby has struggled to renew interest—and especially foster more growth from a global base of fans.
But there is a silver lining, along with Spain, the US has seen steady growth in rugby interest. At the moment, the US is crafting its bid to host the 2031’s Men’s Rugby World Cup—and the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup. The US’s idea is simple and can be summarized with a line borrowed from a famous baseball film: if you build it, they will come.
The idea is to catapult interest in rugby by hosting its biggest tournament—which is also the world’s third-largest sporting event. The US saw meteoric growth in football interest after hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Could hosting the Rugby World Cup do the same for rugby in North America, and possibly other countries around the world?
While it’s uncertain whether the US will succeed in its bid for the Rugby World Cup, it highlights the growing interest from countries where rugby is still growing slowly.
Funding a Major Challenge for Growth
So, what’s stopping rugby from catalyzing growth from 2019 into 2023? One of rugby’s perennial problems is tied to funding. First and foremost, there’s a serious lack of capital for clubs to harness. Second, clubs and leagues that do manage to find that funding tend to squander it… and quickly. Other times, they struggle to find sponsors at all.
Other issues are tied to details like Premiership requirements, which means every club has to have a seating capacity of at least 10,001 at their stadiums. Throw in a lack of a TV deal and there’s even less money to go around.
