Rugby Americas

Rugby Americas is dedicated to increasing the awareness and participation of the sport of rugby through cross regional – North & South America – competitions at the Under-20 level and above.
The organization, which is led by Chief Executive Officer Dan Payne and funded through World Rugby, works directly with Sudamérica Rugby and Rugby Americas North and supports growth through: North & South American Training & Education workshops and camps, Americas combines, player and administrator identification and development, professional game support and medical super weeks.
The Americas Rugby Championship, which features national teams of Canada, USA, Uruguay, Brazil and Chile, along with Argentina “XV”, was created in 2016 as an opportunity to provide the Americas countries with an annual high level competition to further development. The competition, which is entering its fifth year in 2020, has proved invaluable for reaching new audiences across owned and earned media channels and provided significant test match opportunities for Canada, USA, Uruguay and Argentina ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The next tier of competition, the Americas Rugby Challenge, was also created in 2018 and has seen the likes of Colombia, Paraguay, Mexico, Guyana and Cayman Islands compete in two round-robin style competitions as a way to underpin the growth in the region, along with the Under-20 version as well.
Events & Competitions
Americas Rugby Championship
Americas Rugby Challenge
Americas Rugby Challenge U20

UNITED STATES LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO HOST MEN’S AND WOMEN’S RUGBY WORLD CUPS
WASHINGTON (Oct. 20, 2021) – Today marks the public launch of the United States’ bid to host the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027 or 2031 and the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2029. This is the first time a nation has bid on both the Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups...

USA Secure RAN #1 seed in RWC Qualification with win over Canada
The USA Rugby Eagles have advanced to the next round of Rugby World Cup qualification after a dominant 38 - 16 win over Rugby Canada at RugbyTown USA in Glendale, Colorado to win the aggregate point series by 9 points....

KAT ROCHE TO MAKE HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE LEAD REFEREE IN MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY
DALLAS (July 15, 2021) – Today Major League Rugby (MLR) will make history. The Houston SaberCats will square off with the Seattle Seawolves for their final round match of the season, but with both teams out of the playoff picture, it will be a referee who will be...

USA EAGLE ALUM DAN PAYNE APPOINTED USA RUGBY GENERAL MANAGER OF HIGH PERFORMANCE
USA Eagle Alum and former USA Rugby CEO, Dan Payne appointed as General Manager of High Performance following an extensive application and review process. The General Manager role will lead and oversee all aspects of USA Rugby High Performance programs, including the...

MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY RELEASES 2021 SEASON LAUNCH, CHAMPIONSHIP DATE
DALLAS (September 22, 2020) — In advance of its fourth season, Major League Rugby today announced its 2021 season will start with matches on March 20, 2021 and will continue for 18 weeks of regular season action. Thirteen teams spread across North America will be...

KAPLAN AND POLLOCK APPOINTED TO LEAD MLR MATCH OFFICIALS FOR 2021
DALLAS (August 6, 2020) – Major League Rugby (MLR) announced today that Jonathan Kaplan will lead the appointment and development of match officials for the 2021 season. Kaplan will also be assisted by Chris Pollock in a technical advisor role. Between them, Kaplan...

2020 RUGBY AMERICAS COMPETITIONS WILL NOT TAKE PLACE IN CURRENT FORMAT THIS YEAR DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
July 6, 2020 – Today, Rugby Americas Chief Executive Officer Dan Payne announced that the 2020 Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) and Americas Rugby Challenge (ARCh) – senior and under-20 – competitions will not take place this year in their current format due to the...

Qualification process set for Rugby World Cup 2023
Following the most competitive and widely-acclaimed Rugby World Cup to date in Japan, the qualification process is designed to deliver the top teams in the world to rugby's showcase tournament, while promoting a genuine opportunity for all unions. With 12 teams having...

Eagles renew continental domination – A look back at the 2018 Americas Rugby Championship
The third edition of the Americas Rugby Championship ratified the growth of a tournament for the six top nations in the continent The hashtag #AméricaCrece – America Grows – encapsulated the third edition of the continental competition, with the sustained growth of...

Continental development brings a champion from the North – A look back at the 2017 ARC
The second season of the Americas Rugby Championship bore fruits to the new competition model: develop high performance in the north and the south of the Americas. The success of the Americas Rugby Championship in its new format previewed a good second season. No one...