This article contains affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
A Sunday in June 2026, heavy rain in suburban Chicago, and the Chicago Hounds closing out a perfect season with a 35–17 win over the California Legion in the Major League Rugby final. Two months later the Denver Onyx won a second straight Women’s Elite Rugby title. And in five years, the men’s Rugby World Cup will be played in American stadiums for the first time. This guide maps the rugby leagues and associations that matter to American players, from World Rugby and USA Rugby to college rugby, high school and youth clubs, the pros, the World Cups and the Olympics. Team counts and results are as of the 2026 season.
Who runs rugby
| Organization | What it does |
|---|---|
| World Rugby | Global governing body of rugby union and sevens since 1886, based in Dublin: 135 member unions, the Laws of the Game, the Rugby World Cups, the SVNS sevens series and Olympic sevens. |
| USA Rugby | The national governing body in the US: national teams (the Eagles, men and women, 15s and sevens), laws and referees, coach certification, and councils for youth and high school, college, senior clubs and international athletes. |
| USA Youth & High School Rugby | Affiliate of USA Rugby and the sanctioned governing body for players 5–18: 900+ clubs and 47 state youth rugby organizations. |
| National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) | “The Home of College Rugby”: men’s and women’s college competitions in Divisions I to III, 15s and sevens national championships. |
| Major League Rugby (MLR) and Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) | The US professional and elite leagues for men and women. |
| USA Rugby League (USARL) | Governing body for rugby league in the US, affiliated with the sport’s international federation. |
World Rugby
World Rugby counts more than 7 million players in 135 national member federations across six regional associations. It writes the Laws of the Game (the June 2026 changes included the lower community tackle height and a “brake foot” for hookers at the scrum), runs the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups and the HSBC SVNS sevens series, and runs Olympic sevens with the IOC. Its free online Passport site hosts courses every coach and parent should know about: Rugby Ready, Concussion Management for the General Public, the Activate injury-prevention warm-up and Tackle Ready. Rules in plain words: our rugby rules page.
USA Rugby and the Eagles
USA Rugby registers players, coaches, referees and clubs and sets the US game’s guidelines. Its 2026-27 game-management guidelines, for example, set the sternum line as the tackle height for community rugby, with the shoulder line for MLR and WER, and use World Rugby’s Recognise and Remove concussion process at community level. To coach, USA Rugby members need annual SafeSport training, a background screening every two years, concussion-management training and a coaching course, as state organizations such as Rugby Oregon explain.
The national teams are the Eagles. The men qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia (October 1 to November 13, 2027, with 24 teams) by beating Samoa 29–13 in Denver in September 2025, after missing the 2023 edition. In sevens, the US women play in World Rugby’s top-tier SVNS series in 2025-26, while the men dropped to the second tier, SVNS 2, for that season.
Pro and elite rugby in the US
Major League Rugby
MLR is the men’s professional league. In 2026 it shrank to six teams, the fewest in its history, after several clubs folded and two California clubs merged: Chicago Hounds, California Legion, Seattle Seawolves, New England Free Jacks, Old Glory DC and Anthem RC. Each team played 10 regular-season games from late March to June, the top four reached the playoffs, and the Hounds won the final 35–17. MLR teams also back Rookie Rugby, the free school program, and run pathways from youth to academy rugby.
Women’s Elite Rugby
WER launched in 2025 as the top women’s league, with six teams: Bay Breakers, Boston Banshees, Chicago Tempest, Denver Onyx, New York Exiles and Twin Cities Gemini. In 2026 each played 10 games from May to July, and the Denver Onyx beat the Bay Breakers 24–17 on August 8 to become the first back-to-back champions.
College rugby
Most college rugby in the US is club rugby, run by students with a coach, and that’s where most college players start. National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) runs men’s and women’s divisions (Division I, I-AA, II and III), a 15s national championship and a National 7s championship,. The College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) runs another set of competitions, including sevens.
Women’s rugby is an NCAA Emerging Sport. As of July 2026, the NCAA directory lists 30 schools that sponsor it as a varsity sport (up from 23 in 2021-22), and 40 are needed before the NCAA can consider an official championship. Varsity teams play their 15s championships through the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA), with Division I, II and III, or through NCR, and keep their NCAA varsity status either way. Some colleges also offer rugby scholarships; ask the program directly.
High school, youth and club rugby
USA Youth & High School Rugby is the sanctioned governing body for rugby players aged 5 to 18. Day to day, youth and high school rugby runs through state youth rugby organizations (47 of them), which organize leagues, referees and state championships for school-based and club teams, boys and girls, in 15s and sevens. In most states that’s separate from the school athletic association that runs football or soccer. Kids usually start with flag rugby, often through Rookie Rugby in PE class, and move to tackle rugby around U10. Our youth rugby guide walks through the ages and safety rules.
For adults, USA Club Rugby runs senior club competitions for men’s and women’s clubs in Divisions I to III, with national championships that date back to 1979. Social and touch rugby leagues, sevens tournaments and veterans’ sides fill out the calendar.
Rugby World Cup 2031 and 2033 in the US
The United States will host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031, the first ever in the Americas, and the women’s Rugby World Cup in 2033. In October 2025, 27 cities and areas with 33 venues entered the applicant phase, from Boston and New York/New Jersey to Los Angeles, Seattle and Atlanta. World Rugby plans to name candidate cities by the end of 2026 and the final host cities after the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with the draw in late 2029 or early 2030. Rookie Rugby’s goal is to reach 50,000 schools by 2031.
Olympic sevens and LA28
The 15-a-side game was played at the Olympics between 1900 and 1924, and the US men won gold in 1924. Rugby sevens joined the program at Rio 2016. At Paris 2024, the US women won bronze, beating Australia 14–12 with a try and conversion in the last 30 seconds in front of 69,000 fans at the Stade de France: the first US Olympic rugby medal since 1924. At LA28, rugby sevens will be played at Carson Stadium in California over three days for each tournament, with 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams in pools of four, then knockouts. The path there runs through USA Rugby’s sevens programs and the SVNS series.
Rugby league in the US
Rugby league, the 13-a-side code, is a smaller amateur game in the US. USA Rugby League is its governing body and an affiliate of the international federation; its amateur clubs play a summer season. If you play union, a summer of league is a good way to sharpen tackling and running lines.
Train like the pathway players
Whatever level you’re aiming for, the basics are the same: a ball in your hands every day and smart conditioning. The Gilbert G-TR4000 (about $30) is a hand-stitched size 5 training ball used by many clubs, and a chest-strap heart rate monitor like the Polar H10 (about $105 at Polar, often less on Amazon) helps you see how hard each session really was. For team-level tracking, see our GPS trackers for team sports and best heart rate monitors.
Gilbert G-TR4000 Training Rugby Ball (Size 5)
- Size 5
- Hand-stitched, 3-ply
- About $30
Polar H10 Heart Rate Sensor
- Chest-strap ECG sensor
- Bluetooth and ANT+
- Up to 400 h battery
Back to the rugby hub, or see rugby rules, youth rugby and rugby gear. For another sport with a World Cup on home soil, see soccer leagues and associations.
Rugby leagues FAQs
Is there a professional rugby league in the US?
Yes. Major League Rugby is the men’s pro league (six teams in 2026, won by the Chicago Hounds), and Women’s Elite Rugby is the top women’s league (six teams, won by the Denver Onyx in 2025 and 2026).
Is rugby an NCAA sport?
Women’s rugby is an NCAA Emerging Sport, with 30 sponsoring schools listed as of July 2026; 40 are needed for an NCAA championship to be considered. Men’s college rugby is played as club rugby, mainly through National Collegiate Rugby.
When is the Rugby World Cup in the USA?
The men’s Rugby World Cup comes to the US in 2031 and the women’s in 2033. Host cities will be chosen after the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Has the US won an Olympic medal in rugby?
Yes. The US men won gold in the 15-a-side tournament at the 1924 Olympics, and the US women won bronze in rugby sevens at Paris 2024.
How do I find a rugby club near me?
For kids and teens, USA Youth & High School Rugby’s “Get Into Rugby” form connects you with a local club. Adults can contact their state’s rugby organization or USA Club Rugby, and college students can check whether their school has a club in NCR or CRAA.