LONDON (Reuters) – The United States will host England in July as the culmination of a series of high-profile men’s and women’s fixtures that form part of the country’s plan to boost rugby’s profile ahead of hosting two World Cups in the next decade.
USA Rugby announced six fixtures on Tuesday, including a July 19 double header at Audi Field in Washington, DC, where the men will face England and the women will play Fiji.
The match will conclude England’s summer tour, which begins with a non-cap fixture against a France XV at Twickenham on June 21, followed by two tests in Argentina, when coach Steve Borthwick will be without players involved in the British and Irish Lions series in Australia.
The U.S. men’s team will play two warm-up games in Charlotte, North Carolina, taking on the Netherlands on July 5 and Spain a week later. The women’s team will play Japan on April 26 in Los Angeles and Canada in Kansas City on July 5.
The U.S. is hosting the men’s World Cup in 2031 and the women’s in 2033.
“The U.S. is a rapidly growing rugby market. This test series strengthens the competition calendar and fuels rugby’s expansion.” said USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk and Mitch Phillips)
