World Rugby Releases ‘A Blueprint for Growth’ 2026 Report – Aims To Unlock Commercial Potential of Women’s Rugby

rugbyasia247 Posted On April 7, 2026

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World Rugby Releases ‘A Blueprint for Growth’ 2026 Report

World Rugby has published the second edition of ‘A Blueprint for Growth’ report, which the sports governing body said is “the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken into the fan and commercial trends driving rugby’s global rise, relevance, and reach” for Women’s Rugby.

Chief of Women’s Rugby at World Rugby, Sally Horrox, said at the launch of the publication: “The findings in our updated Blueprint for Growth report underline what we are seeing across the global game – women’s rugby is not just growing, it is transforming the future of the sport. A new generation of fans is discovering rugby, and that fandom is set to grow.

The report underscores the significant commercial opportunity ahead of us, with growing fan engagement, increasing visibility and record-breaking event performance combining to create a powerful platform for future investment, innovation and growth”

Building on the inaugural report, the latest edition provides a strategic roadmap to unlock the full commercial potential of women’s rugby worldwide.

World Rugby said, “The findings reinforce the central role of women’s rugby as a catalyst for growth across the sport, demonstrating clear opportunities for national unions, governments and competition owners to accelerate participation, expand fanbases and drive commercial revenues.”

A Blueprint for Growth 2026 Report – Key Findings

The report draws on commissioned research conducted in early 2025 across seven global markets, alongside updated broader market and global trend analysis, including insights from the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

49% of women’s rugby fans had become fans in the last two years
55% of women’s rugby fans believe their interest in rugby union will grow in the future
53% of women’s rugby fans discovered the sport through TV or streaming
39% of women’s rugby fans said that increased visibility of players has driven increased engagement in women’s rugby
29% of women’s rugby fans are under 35, 43% of women’s rugby fans are female (53% of RWC 2025 ticket purchasers were female)

Impacts of the Rugby World Cup 2025

31% of women’s rugby fans are motivated to follow by their interest in major tournaments
At RWC 2025, 15% of attendees attended their first rugby match, ever and 44% of attended a women’s rugby match for the first time
RWC 2025 set new records across ticket sales (+196% vs RWC 2021), broadcast viewing hours (+336% vs RWC 2021), social media impressions (+118% vs RWC 2021) and sponsorship revenue (+330% vs RWC 2021)

Brand Impacts

73% of women’s rugby fans agree that brands have an authentic role to play in boosting visibility of women’s rugby
42% of women’s rugby fans are more likely to talk about a brand that sponsors women’s rugby (9% more than men’s rugby fans)

World Rugby said it will continue to work collaboratively with unions, partners, and stakeholders to ensure that this momentum translates into sustained global growth for the women’s game and the sport as a whole.

Asian Growth of Women’s Rugby

We went through the report and looked for specific data points for the growth and opportunities of the game in Asia, but aside from Japan, we could find little mention of specifics for Asia. We will admit this was not a deep dive into the findings, as it’s a long and detailed report.

The report did say that “nearly half of all women’s rugby fans have become fans within the last two years, double the amount of men’s rugby fans, underlining how quickly the audience has grown.”

Some selected data points in reference to Japan:

Japan and South Africa showed the largest emerging fan bases.
Japan has the highest share of fans who have never supported a domestic club. 56% in women’s rugby and 57% in men’s rugby.
Only 27% of fans in Japan engage by watching highlights and/or analysis shows,
In terms of barriers to engaging with women’s rugby, 47 % of Japanese fans suggested there was low visibility. The market average was 32 %.

We will spend time going through the report more thoroughly over the coming weeks.

You can download ‘A Blueprint for Growth’ 2026 Report here.

World Rugby Releases ‘A Blueprint for Growth’ 2026 Report