Rugby’s newest international competition is coming to Denver.
The inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup is kicking off with a double-header at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on July 4.
The United States will play Portugal while Zimbabwe will take on Tonga.
The World Rugby Nations Cup is a new biennial competition between 12 unions that have qualified for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.
The Fourth of July double-header will be part of Commerce City’s 4thFEST. The annual Independence Day celebration features a pre-game festival and the state’s largest fireworks display.
Tickets go on pre-sale on Tuesday, April 7. The general sale will go on sale on April 9 at 10 a.m. Fans can register for the pre-sale at the USA Rugby official website. All matches will be available in the U.S. on Paramount+ and globally on RugbyPass TV.
How will the cup work?
The teams are split into geographically aligned pools of six with each team playing every union in the opposite pool.
USA is in Pool A with Canada, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, and Uruguay. Pool B consists of Georgia, Hong Kong China, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Zimbabwe.
Each team will play three matches in July and three in November. The top-ranked team will be crowned Nations Cup champions. The competition is staged so it won’t conflict with the Men’s Rugby World Cup or British and Irish Lions tour years.
“Consistent competition for our senior national teams continues to be a primary goal at USA Rugby, as we look to grow on the global stage,” said Bill Goren, USA Rugby CEO, in a statement.
The schedule:
Two matches will be played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City on July 4.
Tonga vs. Zimbabwe - 4:15 p.m
USA vs. Portugal - 7 p.m.
