The U.S. has had their bid accepted to host the 2018 Sevens World Cup. The U.S. was always the favorite having some of the best facilities on offer and having a huge market that World Rugby wants to further tap. This will be the first World Cup, either in sevens or 15s that the U.S. will have hosted. The tournament is set for the Bay Area with matches at AT&T Park in San Francisco and Avaya Stadium in San Jose.
In a press release Nigel Melville stated, "We are delighted to be chosen to host the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens. We look forward to delivering a fantastic rugby sevens experience for the players, fans, sponsors and media. Hosting a Rugby World Cup is an important step forward for rugby in the USA and will bring high levels of visibility and interest for the game in the country."
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Hosting the event could be a huge boost to U.S.A. Rugby in several ways. First, it almost ensures that should the men's 7s team falter and not make the Olympics that there will be an impetus to continue funding the team. Fortunately at this point it doesn't look like they will miss out on the Olympics. Second, it could be a potential revenue maker for the U.S.A. Rugby. Large crowds at Avaya Stadium and AT&T Park could fill the coffers just like the match against the All Blacks has done.
Lastly, if the U.S. hosts the tournament well then it boosts their chances of hosting a future 15s World Cup. That may not happen in 2023 with the likes of Ireland, Italy, and South Africa bidding or potentially bidding but it could happen in 2027. That tournament could have an even greater impact than the 7s World Cup.
England, Fiji, Hong Kong, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, and Wales had all expressed interest in hosting the tournament.
It was also announced that Ireland would host the 2017 Women's World Cup.