• The United States men's and women's national rugby teams will play in Nashville on Oct. 24. The men will face Australia and the women will play Italy.
  • Rugby is a fast-growing sport in the United States, which will host the men's World Cup in 2031 and women's in 2033.
  • Nashville is a candidate to host games during both World Cups.

Another high-profile international sporting event is coming to Geodis Park — but it isn't soccer this time.

The United States men's and women's national rugby union teams will play a doubleheader in Nashville on Oct. 24 at Geodis, the home stadium of MLS club Nashville SC. The women's team will face Italy at 3:15 p.m. CT as part of World Rugby's WXV Global Series competition, with the men scheduled to face Australia at 6 p.m.

Since it opened in 2022, Geodis Park has hosted both the United States men's and women's soccer teams on multiple occasions, as well as a friendly between Mexico and South Korea. Japan is using Nashville as its base camp for this summer's FIFA World Cup and held an open training session at Geodis on June 8. Geodis also will host soccer games during the 2028 Olympics, which will primarily be held in Los Angeles.

"You look at the venue, which is a world-class venue," Mick Hogan, a consultant for World Rugby who was involved in scheduling the doubleheader, told The Tennessean. "World-class facilities for the players, but also for the spectators, the media, and the broadcast as well. In terms of venue, it is as good as they get.

"We have a really engaged city that really wants to bring international sporting events to Nashville, and they've supported the event as well, and they will help us promote it. Once you've got those two cornerstones locked in, you know you've got a really good chance of putting on a successful event."

USA Rugby to play in Nashville

The doubleheader in October will be the second time Geodis has hosted rugby. The stadium hosted a Major League Rugby game between the Chicago Hounds and New England Free Jacks on April 19.

Hogan said that game was a success and showed that Geodis could effectively host rugby. Even though it's a soccer-specific stadium, few modifications need to be made, because soccer and rugby fields are the same width and both sports are played on grass.

Rugby is considered one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, particularly at the college level. The U.S. has the third-most participants of any nation, according to Hogan. Multiple versions of the sport exist: rugby union, the form coming to Geodis, is played between two teams of 15 players.

"It's a pretty unique sport," Hogan said. "It's fast-flowing. There's not a lot of stoppages. You've got players that have to play on both the attacking side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball, so it's different to the NFL. It's a sport that is growing at such a pace around the world. The women's game in particular is having phenomenal success."

The United States women are ranked No. 8 in the world, two spots behind Italy. They have competed at every Rugby World Cup, winning the inaugural title in 1991 and finishing as runners-up in 1995 and 1999. The men's side, ranked No. 15, is "very much in the ascendancy," in Hogan's words, and will face the eighth-ranked team in the world in Australia.

"USA Rugby is excited to showcase USA Eagles' energy in new cities across the United States this October," USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren said. "We're thrilled to host these home games in Nashville, and welcome top-tier opposition in Italy and Australia for some exciting action."

Australia will host the men's World Cup in 2027 and the women's World Cup in 2029. Both competitions then come to the United States, which will host the men's tournament in 2031 and the women's tournament in 2033. Nashville is one of 27 cities short-listed to host games during the World Cups.

"Hosting USA Rugby’s men’s and women’s teams at GEODIS Park marks one of the most significant rugby events in Nashville’s history, introducing visiting fans to all our city has to offer while giving local sports fans the chance to experience the excitement of a sport that continues to grow in popularity," said Deana Ivey, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.

Prior to the matches, all four teams will be "out and about" in Nashville for a week, and Hogan anticipates creating "a bit of noise" through a number of community events. He said there will be a fan fest before the game in addition to live music.

"Whenever we put an international game on, anywhere between one-third and two-thirds of the crowd come from out of state," Hogan said. "We'll see fans travel from probably most states within the U.S. So we'll give a bit of a boost to local tourism, and hopefully the city can show us its many attributes."

Tickets will go on sale Thursday, July 2 at 9 a.m. CT through Ticketmaster, with a pre-sale beginning June 30 at 9 a.m.

"Rugby continues to be one of the fastest growing sports in the United States, and we are thrilled to welcome the Women's and Men's Eagles to Nashville during a time of tremendous growth for the game," Nashville SC chief business officer Lindsey Paola said. " . . . We look forward to once again showcasing our venue on the global stage."

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

Source: Tennessean