World Rugby has confirmed that a record 11 unions have formally expressed interest in hosting Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022.
Argentina, Cayman Islands, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Qatar, Scotland, South Africa and Tunisia confirmed expressions of interest to the international federation by the March 31 deadline.
World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said the organisation was “delighted with the record level of interest”.
“Rugby World Cup Sevens is a major event on the global sporting calendar, a fan and team favourite, and is an attractive proposition for unions and cities as a low-investment, high-return event that is great for the city and great for rugby,” Beaumont said.
“With a core objective of growing the global rugby fan and participation footprint, it is superb to see new interest from emerging rugby nations, which is great for the sport.
“We now move forward to a detailed phase of consultation and evaluation against set operational, team, fan and legacy criteria before the World Rugby Council selects the 2022 host at the interim meeting in Tokyo in October.”
Beaumont said the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in San Francisco was a resounding success.
“Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 attracted a record attendance for a rugby event in the USA of 100,000, generated a record domestic broadcast audience of more than nine million and showcased the very best of San Francisco and rugby to a global broadcast audience in 224 territories.”
New Zealand won both the men’s and women’s titles in San Francisco.
The 2022 tournament, which will again comprise 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams, and will be played over three days in one venue. will be played during September and October as the Commonwealth Games tournament, in Birmingham, England, will take place in July 2022.
The unions have been issued formal bid application documents, and now must submit their responses by July, 16, 2019.