On Saturday, Baltimore’s 71,000‑seat M&T Bank Stadium hosted a marquee rugby match between New Zealand’s All Blacks and South Africa’s Springboks. The event, part of a broader strategy to raise rugby’s profile in the United States, drew a full house and put the sport front‑and‑center in a city dominated by NFL football.
Local excitement meets global rivalry
South Africa’s number eight Jasper Wiese noted that, despite the stadium’s size, the players were still relatively unknown to many fans in the crowd. “We had a few people recognise us, not me necessarily but the guys I walk with,” he said before the test, which is billed as part of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
For Baltimore residents, the match offered a rare chance to see two of the world’s best rugby teams live, a spectacle that could spark lasting interest in a sport still unfamiliar to most Americans.
USA Rugby’s ambitious roadmap
USA Rugby, the governing body for the sport, currently counts over 100,000 active members across youth, high school, college and senior club levels. CEO Bill Goren told Reuters the organization hopes to grow that number to 500,000 by the time the United States hosts the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031 and the women’s tournament in 2033.
Goren, who previously oversaw marketing for Major League Rugby, emphasized the need for alignment across all levels of the game. “What it’s going to take is a number of people coming together, alignment throughout our community… aligning to promote, drive the game, build the opportunity for people to enjoy the game,” he said.
Upcoming Olympic and World Cup opportunities
Rugby sevens will feature in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, providing another high‑visibility platform. The 2031 men’s Rugby World Cup will be the first ever staged in the United States, followed by the women’s tournament two years later. These events are expected to serve as catalysts for participation and fan growth.
Challenges and market realities
Sports‑marketing analyst Bob Dorfman of San Francisco warned that rugby faces an uphill battle in a market saturated by the “Big Four” leagues—NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL—as well as a rising soccer fanbase. “It’s not an easy sport to learn, a lot of complicated rules,” he said. “It’s so close to American football that I think American football fans who might be the most likely to get into rugby are so wrapped up in the NFL that who has time to really follow another sport?”
Nevertheless, the Baltimore test match demonstrated that with the right exposure, rugby can capture the imagination of American fans. South Africa’s inside centre Damian de Allende argued that the best way to sell the sport is to bring people into the stadium to experience the high‑level competition firsthand.
Building a youth pipeline
Former Olympic bronze‑medalist Ilona Maher, who rose to fame during the 2024 Paris Games, highlighted the importance of connecting with younger audiences. Her social‑media presence, which blends athletic performance with messages of body positivity, has helped introduce rugby to a new generation.
Major League Rugby co‑president Alexander Magleby echoed this sentiment, likening the potential fan surge to the enthusiasm soccer enjoyed during the 2026 World Cup. “If people love soccer fans, they’re absolutely going to love rugby fans,” he said.
Looking ahead
While the sport still has a long way to go, the Baltimore event serves as a tangible step toward broader national recognition. Continued collaboration among USA Rugby, Major League Rugby, local clubs and community leaders will be essential to turn the current momentum into lasting growth.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
