The head of Asia Rugby said the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are preparing a joint bid to host the 2035 or 2039 Rugby World Cup.
Qais Al Dhalai believes a joint Gulf bid would stage “the most successful event in the history of rugby” and that rugby should follow football's example of hosting the World Cup in multiple countries.
“As our leaders in the Gulf believe, nothing is impossible,” Al Dhalai told The Times newspaper. “I foresee this as something that might happen in 2035."
For the bid to be successful, World Rugby would need to ratify a multi-country bid for what would be only the second World Cup staged in Asia after Japan hosted the tournament in 2019.
The game's governing body would also most likely need to change its rules on allowing UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to play at the World Cup as hosts. None of the three prospective hosts have ever participated at a Rugby World Cup. At 48, the UAE are the highest-ranked side of the three. Qatar are 87th while Saudi Arabia are unranked.
Every World Cup host has played at the Rugby World Cup since the first edition in 1987.
Al Dhalai, who is also vice president of the UAE Rugby Federation, has urged World Rugby to "think outside the box", saying the infrastructure and stadia are already in place in the three Gulf countries. Qatar successfully hosted the 2022 Fifa World Cup; Saudi Arabia will host it in 2034 and the UAE has for many years staged international sporting events.
“I don’t want to underestimate other bids, and I believe South Africa and other European countries might be interested as well, but if World Rugby worked hard on this with a solid plan it might happen in 2035," Al Dhalai told The Times newspaper.
“I’m in favour of a multi-city hosting model, not a single host. That’s proven to work in soccer. They have done it since 2002 when Japan and Korea hosted, and are doing it again in Mexico, USA and Canada in 2026, and then again with Spain, Morocco and Portugal in 2030. Why not rugby?
“A multi-host could be a successful story and a new model for rugby. UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia. Why not? The stadiums are ready there. It will be the most successful event in the history of rugby.”
Australia will host the next men’s World Cup in 2027, which will for the first time be expanded to 24 teams from 20, then will take the women’s tournament in 2029, with the United States following with men’s and women’s competitions in 2031 and 2033. The bidding process for the 2035 World Cup will start in the next two years.
Another issue for World Rugby to consider is moving the World Cup from the summer to winter to combat the extreme heat of the Gulf countries.
That would mean a major re-think of the rugby calendar, particularly in the northern hemisphere, as the Six Nations would start barely a month after the World Cup final if it remained in its usual February-March slot.
Al Dhalai believes any misgivings World Rugby has over awarding a Middle East World Cup can be overcome by the vast sums that could be unlocked by sponsorship and the backing of sovereign wealth funds and big corporations in the Gulf.
In 2009, the World Cup Sevens was held in Dubai, with a combined Arabian Gulf team represented by amateur players.
A new purpose built stadium for the event was built on Al Ain Road and following the years-long success of the Dubai Sevens, the International Rugby Board decided to pick the Arabian Gulf RFU as the host union.
