World Rugby names former USTA executive Megan Rose to lead 2031 Men's World Cup in the US

World Rugby has appointed Megan Rose as Managing Director of the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2031, tasking the former United States Tennis Association executive with delivering what the governing body describes as the sport’s most ambitious tournament to date — and its first ever on American soil.

Rose brings extensive major-event experience to the role. During her tenure at the USTA she organised global competitions including the US Open Series, the Davis Cup, and the Billie Jean King Cup, and served as Team Leader for Team USA Olympic tennis at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said she joins “at a pivotal moment as our U.S. project enters its next phase.”

“Megan is an outstanding leader with a proven track record of delivering world-class sporting events and driving innovation,” Gilpin said. “Her experience, vision, and deep understanding of the U.S. sports landscape make her ideally placed to deliver a defining chapter for rugby in the United States and around the world.”

The financial stakes are considerable. The Men’s Rugby World Cup generates roughly 85 to 90 percent of World Rugby’s total income, funding everything from elite competitions to grassroots development programmes globally. World Rugby has set a revenue target of over one billion dollars for the 2031 edition, and Rose’s primary mandate will be to maximise commercial returns in the world’s most lucrative sports market.

The 2031 tournament sits alongside the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup — also set for the United States — as the centrepiece of World Rugby’s strategic push to grow participation, audiences, and commercial revenues in North America.

Rose, who is based in Orlando, acknowledged she is still in the early stages of learning the sport itself, but said her background in large-scale event delivery and startup environments will be central to her success in the role. “To be entrusted with bringing Men’s Rugby World Cup to the United States for the first time is an extraordinary honour,” she said.

She steps in with the host-city applicant phase already well advanced, meaning the operational groundwork for 2031 is already underway.