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World Rugby

World Rugby, founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board and based in Dublin, runs the Rugby World Cups and HSBC SVNS and is a full ASOIF member.
✓ Last reviewed: September 2026
Founded1886, as the International Rugby Football Board, by the unions of Ireland, Scotland and Wales[2][6]
RenamedInternational Rugby Board (1998 per World Rugby; 1996 per Olympedia); World Rugby, November 2014[2][6]
Legal formWorld Rugby Limited, a private company limited by shares incorporated in Ireland (Bye-Law 1)[3]
HeadquartersDublin, Ireland, with offices in London and Sydney, per World Rugby[1]
Members135 unions (118 full, 17 associate), as World Rugby states; Olympedia gives 134 as of January 2026[4][6]
RecognitionIOC-recognised (1994, per Olympedia); ASOIF full member; WADA Code signatory[6][7][8]
Olympic GamesRugby sevens since Rio 2016; on the LA28 programme[6][15]

What is World Rugby?

World Rugby is the international federation for rugby union. It describes itself as “an international federation and a global movement comprising more than 400 million fans and over 7 million players within 135 national member federations affiliated through six regional associations”.[1] Its founding purpose, as its own history puts it, was a “neutral board” that would “agree upon and govern the rules of rugby football”.[2]

Legally it is a company. Bye-Law 1, in the edition dated 1 January 2022, defines World Rugby as “World Rugby Limited, a private company limited by shares incorporated in Ireland with registered number 245000”, formerly known as the International Rugby Board, and as the association of its member unions and associations.[3]

The Council is described by World Rugby as its “highest decision-making body”. It has 53 members, votes on Rugby World Cup hosting and competition structures, and can admit or expel member unions. An Executive Board runs the federation between Council meetings. Brett Robinson is Chair and Alan Gilpin Chief Executive.[5] The body covers rugby union in its fifteen-a-side and sevens forms. Rugby league is a separate code with its own world body, the International Rugby League.

What does World Rugby govern or do?

Laws: World Rugby writes the Laws of the Game for rugby union and publishes them online in 16 languages. It also publishes law variations for sevens, tens and under-19 rugby and for modified forms including beach, touch and tag rugby.[10] Its Bye-Laws are published alongside the Regulations Relating to the Game.[3]

Anti-doping: WADA lists World Rugby as a Code signatory among the ASOIF members within the Olympic Movement.[8]

Competitions and calendar: it organises the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups and runs the HSBC SVNS sevens series.[12][14] In November 2025 it announced a twelve-team Nations Cup to launch in July 2026. It called the event “important preparation for unions qualified for an expanded Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia”.[13]

When was World Rugby founded and where is it based?

Founding: World Rugby’s history page states that “a disputed try led to the formation of the International Rugby Football Board in 1886 by the unions of Ireland, Scotland and Wales”.[2] Olympedia independently gives 1886 and the same three founding unions. It adds that England joined in 1890, and that membership stayed at four until Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were admitted in 1949. France followed in 1978.[6]

Renamings: the two sources date the first renaming differently. World Rugby’s own history states that the body “oversaw the advent of professionalism in August 1995 and three years later became known as the International Rugby Board”, which places the change in 1998.[2] Olympedia gives 1996.[6] The body’s own account supports 1998; Bye-Law 1 confirms the former name but gives no date for it.[3] Both sources agree on the second renaming. World Rugby’s words are “a name change following in November 2014 when it became known as World Rugby as part of a major rebrand”.[2][6]

Seat: the legal entity is incorporated in Ireland under Bye-Law 1.[3] World Rugby gives Dublin as its headquarters, with further offices in London and Sydney, and Olympedia also records it as based in Dublin.[1][6] The World Games site gives its address as 8-10 Pembroke Street Lower, Dublin 2.[9]

How is World Rugby recognised?

IOC: Olympedia gives 1994 as the year of World Rugby’s IOC recognition.[6] The IOC’s own record could not be retrieved, and the kind of recognition in 1994 is not stated in the sources opened. World Rugby states that the return of rugby sevens to the Olympic programme “was secured in October 2009”.[2] Sevens was first played at Rio 2016, and Olympedia notes that rugby union had been played at the Games of 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924.[6]

Umbrella bodies: ASOIF’s member page, retrieved 30 September 2026, lists World Rugby among its 30 full members.[7] World Rugby states that it became an ASOIF member in 2010.[1] WADA lists it as a Code signatory in the same ASOIF group.[8] The World Games site names World Rugby as the federation for rugby sevens, which was on the World Games programme from 2001 to 2013, and records its IWGA membership as dating from 1999.[9]

Russia and Belarus: The42, in a report dated 28 February 2022, carried World Rugby’s announcement of “the full and immediate suspension of Russia and Belarus from all international rugby and cross-border club rugby activities until further notice”, and of the Rugby Union of Russia from World Rugby membership. The42 reported that Russia’s remaining qualifying matches for the 2023 Rugby World Cup would not go ahead.[16] No later World Rugby decision lifting that suspension was retrieved.

What does World Rugby organise?

Rugby World Cup: the men’s tournament was introduced in 1987, and World Rugby calls it “the catalyst for the game spreading”.[2] The most recent completed World Cup is the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England. England beat Canada 33–13 in the final at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on 27 September 2025, before a crowd World Rugby gives as 81,885.[11] The next edition scheduled is the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, with 24 teams and 52 matches and the final in Sydney.[12]

Sevens: the HSBC SVNS series is World Rugby’s annual sevens circuit. Its 2025/26 season included events in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux, the last of them completed on 7 June 2026. World Rugby has announced that the series returns to New York in March 2027.[14] At LA28, rugby sevens is scheduled as two 12-team tournaments, men’s and women’s, at Carson Stadium.[15]

Nations Cup: the twelve-team competition announced on 17 November 2025 was scheduled to launch in July 2026. The eleven teams confirmed at the announcement were Canada, Chile, Georgia, Hong Kong China, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Tonga, Uruguay, the USA and Zimbabwe. The twelfth place was to go to the winner of the Final Qualification Tournament in Dubai, 8–18 November 2025.[13]

Who are its members?

World Rugby’s membership page gives “135 national member Unions affiliated through six regional associations”, made up of 118 full member unions and 17 associate member unions. The page gives no date for the count.[4] Olympedia, as of January 2026, gives 134 unions: 118 full members and 16 associate members.[6] Bye-Law 1 defines three categories: Full Member Union, Associate Member Union and Recognised Regional Development Union.[3]

The six regional associations are Asia Rugby, Rugby Africa, Rugby Europe, Oceania Rugby, Rugby Americas North and Sudamérica Rugby.[4] A regional-association representative sits on the Executive Board.[5] In the United States the member union is USA Rugby.

Membership began with three unions in 1886. Olympedia notes that membership widened to less developed rugby nations only from the mid-1980s.[6] The Council grew from 32 to 53 members in November 2017, when 17 women members were added.[5]

References

  1. World Rugby — About us. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  2. World Rugby — History. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  3. World Rugby — Bye-Law 1: Definitions (1 January 2022). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  4. World Rugby — Membership. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  5. World Rugby — Governance structure. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  6. Olympedia — World Rugby (organisation page). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  7. ASOIF — Members. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  8. WADA — Code Signatories. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  9. The World Games — Rugby. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  10. World Rugby Passport — Laws of the Game. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  11. Rugby World Cup — CAN 13–33 ENG: England win Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 (27 September 2025). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  12. Rugby World Cup — Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  13. World Rugby — Nations Cup to launch in July 2026 (17 November 2025). Accessed 2026-09-30.
  14. HSBC SVNS — official site. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  15. LA28 — Rugby Sevens. Accessed 2026-09-30.
  16. The42 — Russia, Belarus suspended by World Rugby ‘until further notice’. Accessed 2026-09-30.