World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper says an American bid for the 2027 or 2031 World Cup would be ‘highly attractive’.

Gosper told Business Insider he would be ‘very surprised’ if USA Rugby did not throw its hat into the ring.

“Why is it attractive to World Rugby? Of course, it would generate very high values from that market in broadcast returns for us and that would be sustainable over time. World Rugby is quite heavily reliant on broadcast [revenues].’

Gosper said he hoped Major League Rugby, now into its second season, would be a success in America.

‘We do think they are sensible people going about this in a meticulous way with serious ambitions.

‘The prize [of conquering the USA market] is fantastic. It’s also a very, very difficult market to break into because it’s incredibly crowded and commercialised.’