World Rugby took a strategic step in its ambition to transform rugby into a more global, more visible, and commercially stronger product by sealing a long-term partnership with IMG to strengthen its media rights. The agreement is not only aimed at improving the sport’s distribution and commercial value, but also at laying the groundwork for a larger objective: turning the United States into one of rugby’s main engines of growth ahead of the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups, which will be held on American soil.

The ambition is significant. In a market historically dominated by other sports, World Rugby wants to establish rugby as a property with its own weight, capable of attracting new audiences, drawing investment, and gaining space in the sports conversation. To achieve that, the governing body understands that bringing major tournaments to the country is not enough: it also needs to build narrative, presence, and continuity. That is where IMG comes in, with a global structure designed to shape how rugby is consumed, distributed, and positioned in one of the most competitive environments in world sport.

The United States as rugby’s great expansion laboratory

For World Rugby, the United States represents much more than a future host: it is the market where the sport will test its real capacity for global growth. The organization sees the country as one of its greatest expansion opportunities, both in commercial volume and audience potential, which is why it has already activated a specific plan to make the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups the most commercially successful in history. The agreement with IMG fits directly into that strategy, with a roadmap focused on media rights, content distribution, market strategy, and sustained impact beyond the tournament calendar.

That work is already beginning to take shape. World Rugby, financially advised by Jefferies, has been actively investing in the U.S. market alongside national unions and local stakeholders, with a strategy that combines premium international matches, activation in key cities, and a more aggressive expansion of the hosting program. The 2026 calendar will be the first major showcase of that plan, with a record number of international rugby matches in the United States across both established and emerging markets. The logic is clear: build volume, create habit, and prepare the audience before the biggest events arrive.

IMG and the building of a more visible and profitable rugby ecosystem

IMG’s role in this new phase goes far beyond traditional commercial consulting. The company will serve as a strategic partner in building a stronger media ecosystem for rugby, focused on expanding reach, optimizing rights, and improving the way the sport is presented to new audiences. The goal is not only to sell the product better, but to make it more accessible, more attractive, and more relevant in an environment where attention is increasingly contested. In that sense, rugby needs more than exposure: it needs narrative, consistency, and a presence capable of sustaining itself over time.

The relationship between the two sides, moreover, does not begin from scratch. IMG had already been working with World Rugby on recent high-value agreements, such as the domestic rights deal with Nine Entertainment for the 2027 and 2029 Rugby World Cups in Australia, as well as international partnerships such as the one signed with CBS Sports through 2029. That track record strengthened confidence to move toward a deeper partnership, in which IMG brings not only structure and expertise, but also market insight and the ability to translate rugby into a more competitive product. In a sports ecosystem where growth depends as much on the game as on how it is told, World Rugby has decided that its next major expansion will also be played out off the field.