For Americans, rugby was never among the most popular sports. For a while, there was a feeling that it could break through and become the next big thing, but it never materialized. The men’s and women’s teams of the Eagles could change that.
With a packed home schedule, there will be more Eagles test matches on US soil than ever before. Many believe that this season will therefore truly push rugby to the mainstream in the US. In this article, we’ll discuss the chance of that happening.
The State of Rugby in America
Rugby has been steadily growing in America for a while now. This is happening across all ages and the whole country, but the Eagles have long been at the center of it. For example, USA Youth & High School Rugby reported over 50,000 registrations in 2024. This is an increase of about 12 percent.
At the senior level, more than 20,000 members are early in the 2024-25 cycle, signaling growing engagement.
On the international stage, the Eagles are the best-known American team, ranked about 15th or 16th in the world. This shows that American rugby isn’t really at the top of the sport worldwide.
What Makes the 2025 Home Series Different?
The 2025 calendar won’t follow the standard two tests in June and tour in November model. Instead, it will be a full season of matches, played across different US cities. Crypto sports betting sites have already come up with odds for those matches and the season as a whole. These sites are safer and less expensive to use than those that use fiat money.
The biggest upside of this kind of season will be the chance for fans to engage with the sport in a new way by showing up at games and cheering for their team, as they do in established sports and leagues.
World Cup Pressure
The games will also be a test for the upcoming World Cup. The Women’s World Cup is overlapping and taking place later this year. The Eagles are very much ready to bring their A game to these matches as a warm-up for the World Cup, but there’s also a risk of injuries right before the Cup, with little time to recover. Shaking up the roster could, therefore, be a way to test the players and prevent injuries.
For the male team, the World Cup is two years away, but the home games can act as a launching pad for the Pacific Nations Cup and the qualification for Australia 2027. They are also ready to redeem themselves for the poor performance in 2023.
Bringing Tier-One Rugby to US fans
The heavyweights the Eagles will face will probably bring out more fans than the Eagles themselves. Many believe that the lack of real competition has kept rugby from becoming a truly popular sport in the US, even though it already has everything it takes to become one.
A home test against a Six Nations giant is a dream for many of the Eagle fans. If a 2019 World Cup finalist travels to the US, it elevates the game, and for many fans, it feels like a UK vs. US showdown. Such a game would be an event even for casual rugby fans, since most US rugby games are now followed only by hardcore fans.
New Rugby Cities, New Fans
Colorado is now the hub for US rugby fans, but this year the game will reach new fans, as some matches are played in states with huge sports venues that aren’t typically known for rugby.
Los Angeles taps into a huge, diverse sports audience and can connect rugby with Sevens tournaments. Kansas City already has a reputation as a soccer city, and rugby would fit right in. Charlotte is a growing market for the NFL and MLS, and it’s ideal for testing the Southeastern audience. Washington, DC, already has a rugby fan base.
The Business Side: Tickets, TV, and the Road to 2031 & 2033
The matches will be a great opportunity for the business side of things as well. Ticket sales will skyrocket, and strong attendance will then become the basis for all other business deals, such as TV rights and sponsorships. Local unions, fans, and clubs themselves are already organizing group trips and plan to follow the team across the country.
Sponsorships are also more likely to follow through if there’s a full season of events rather than a one-off big game. Institutional support would mean a lot to American rugby teams, and this may be the time to get it.
Networks and streaming platforms want properties with a strong core audience and the ability to maintain a strict schedule. Rugby games could meet these demands, especially if they expand their fan base during 2025.
Risk and Challenges
There’s no guarantee this will work, however, since rugby has been around for a long time and hasn’t caught on with the US audience, and there are already a lot of sports, events, and teams with dedicated followings.
Pricing of tickets and marketing of these events will be key to jump-starting enthusiasm for a new sport in the US. Local promotions need to be relentless if they want to succeed in a market that always has something new to offer.
To Sum Up
The USA Eagles will be playing a few important games this season, and it will be a full season rather than just a few one-off events. Many feel that this will be the time for rugby to truly take off among American sports fans.
The conditions are right, since many fans will have a chance to follow a few truly top-tier games within a season, and there’s growing interest in European sports among the diverse American audience. There have been such attempts before, and many have failed. The success will depend on local fan clubs’ ability to generate interest.
