With the USA men having recently qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, the next two years will represent a period of preparation for USA Rugby – both on and off the field.  

World Cup participation always provides a boost for the sport, even if the time differences involved in an Australian tournament may prove challenging for American audiences. 

And while overall victory in the tournament is unlikely (bookmakers have the Eagles at around 500-1 for the win), for some young Americans, it will be the first time they have come across the sport and the competition.  

Our data shows that rugby has relatively low penetration among this audience. Only three percent of young Americans (aged 15-25) have ever played the sport. Whilst a comparison to the proportion of youngsters who have played baseball may be meaningless (43% have done so), our chart below shows participation in rugby next toof the proportion of youngsters who have played baseball may be meaningless (43% have done so), our chart below shows rugby alongside other, sports with lower participation.  

What leaps out is that while rugby may remain a niche sport, it has plenty of good company. A similar proportion have ever played the sport of padel, while only a small percentage more have ever tried pickleball (4%). 

Even a mainstream sport like golf is relatively untried among younger Americans. Only 7% of this group have ever swung a club.  

The good news for rugby is that while only 3% may have ever tried the sport, 4% told us that they have curiosity for it in the future. That's a similar proportion to all the other sports in the chart above, with the exception of ice hockey, which 10% of young Americans imagine they could develop an interest in. But regardless, it indicates some headroom for the sport of rugby to grow into.  

What engages young Americans in sport the most? 

Playing a sport can be a high barrier for some people but that needn’t necessarily stop them from being fan of a team, league or competition.  

Rugby has two years to build interest in the U.S. ahead of the World Cup so what can it learn from young Americans and their sports fandom habits? 

First and foremost, this group is looking for entertainment – pure and simple. Almost all our respondents (96%) identified it as a motivating factor in fandom. That’s good news for rugby as the sport can definitely deliver on that score. In fact, this is the focus of rightsholders of the Gallagher PREM, the UK’s top professional rugby league, right now. The league, riding high on a wave of engagement on social media, has begun a new campaign this season highlighting the sport’s athleticism and ferocity and targeting new fans. 

But rugby would also do well to see what it can do to foster a sense of belonging in the sport. Nine in ten young Americans (93%) feel that a sense of community helps them to become a fan, while a similar proportion (89%) say the same of identity and pride. Four in five say that social connections play a role too. Physical communities, like those that rugby clubs in Australia, New Zealand and the UK provide, may be difficult for rugby in the US to replicate but there are plenty of good examples of digital community-building in sport to follow. Meanwhile technologies like VR and shared realities like those provided by tech innovators Cosm can bring fans closer to the action – and each other – without having to be at a game.   

But as many of us know, sports fandom is also like a rogue gene handed down through generations. We can't just shake it off. Four in five young Americans (82%) say that family legacy and tradition is a motivating factor in fandom.  

You might be forgiven for thinking that as a result of these factors, having a connection to a sport from its grassroots would also be influential in fandom – play the game, stay in the game. Yet only 11% of our sample said that this was a reason to become a fan.  

So in summary, there are plenty of opportunities for rugby in the USA to grow over the next two years – and not all of them rely on playing the game. If the Eagles make a good showing in Australia it could, quite literally, change the game for rugby in the U.S. 

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