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TOURNAMENT BACKGROUND
The hosting rights to Rugby World Cup 2019 were awarded to the Japanese Rugby Football Union (JRFU) in August 2009 following a vote of the World Rugby Council on a detailed hosting recommendation by the Rugby World Cup Limited Board. An extensive and robust host selection process preceded the vote with Italy and South Africa also bidding.
Japan 2019 will be the first Rugby World Cup to be hosted in Asia and represents an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate the development and profile of the sport across the world’s most populous and youthful continent.
RUGBY WORLD CUP
Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan is the ninth edition of the showcase event and the first to be hosted in Asia.
Rugby World Cup is the financial engine behind unprecedented investment and growth in rugby worldwide. The net Rugby World Cup surplus from the commercial success is enabling World Rugby to invest record sums into the development of the game. An overall programme of £266 million is anticipated to be invested between 2016 and 2019, eclipsing the record for the previous four-year cycle by 38 per cent, reflecting a commitment to supporting sustainable growth. This funding includes dedicated strategic high performance investment programmes to assist unions who have qualified for Rugby World Cup, development projects, tournament funding and player welfare research and projects.
THE GLOBAL GOVERNING BODY
World Rugby is the global governing body for the sport of rugby worldwide and owner of Rugby World Cup. With 121 national unions affiliated through six regional associations, World Rugby is responsible for the development and growth of rugby worldwide, the guardians of its regulations and laws and major international events, including the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups, the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens, the men’s and women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, the U20 World Championship and Trophy and a whole host of high performance and development tournaments aimed at icreasing the global competitiveness of the sport. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, World Rugby employs approximately 100 people.
THE TOURNAMENT OWNER
Rugby World Cup Limited is a subsidiary of World Rugby and is responsible for the stable of showcase Rugby World Cup properties, including Rugby World Cup, Women’s Rugby World Cup and Rugby World Cup Sevens. The Board manages the detailed host selection process for each tournament, making a hosting recommendation to the World Rugby Council to consider. The Board comprises seven directors.
THE TOURNAMENT ORGANISING COMMITTEE
Japan Rugby 2019 is the organising committee for Rugby World Cup 2019, established by the JRFU to manage and deliver the six-week tournament, hosted in 12 venues across the length and breadth of the country. In all, there will be 48 matches, each one celebrating the game and engaging hundreds of millions of people around the world.