Last year, the Rugby World Cup brought a reported 425,000 international visitors to France.
Denver wants in on that. The city is bidding to host the men’s cup in 2031 and the women’s in 2033.
Those two years mark the first times the cup will come to the United States, but the location in the country hasn’t been decided yet.
Boosters in Denver are hard at work to draw the attention of the organizers of the biggest event in rugby. They hosted a delegation from World Rugby last week, meeting with Mayor Mike Johnston and other city leaders as they visited potential sites.
Denver is one of more than 30 cities and states that have expressed interest in hosting the events, according to World Rugby.
The city is already set to host its own professional rugby team, the Onyx, which starts play on March 29 in Glendale.
The Rugby World Cup currently involves 24 teams facing off in 52 matches. Founded in 1987, its most recent host nations were France, Japan, England and New Zealand. It has never been held in the Western hemisphere.
The men’s and women’s events are generally held every four years. The U.S. won the inaugural women’s Cup in 1991, but has never come close to nailing the men’s tournament.
Separately, the U.S. women’s team also took bronze in rugby sevens at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The Rugby World Cup is the third-largest sporting event in the world, according to the Denver Sports Commission, which is coordinating the bid.
