Qatar reportedly puts up $1.7bn proposal to host rugby Nations Championship Finals
There seems to be no respite for Qatar’s ambitions to host big competitions from around the world on its shores.
After the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2024 FINA World Aquatics Championships earlier this year, the country has reportedly set its sights on hosting the finals of the newly launched rugby Nations Championship for eight years.
Reports in New Zealand’s The Daily Mail suggest Qatar has proposed a three-day event, tentatively named the ‘Superbowl of rugby,’ to host the deciding fixtures beginning in 2026. Qatar has promised commercial returns of £800m ($1.68bn).
The proposal will see Qatar host the event for eight years, including the first four finals of the Nations Championship to be run bi-annually (final and match-ups from second to sixth places, involving all 12 teams).
Qatar will make use of the stadiums and infrastructure it built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The newspaper reported that the initial proposal had been sent to the Six Nations and Sanzaar unions last week, with a seven-day deadline to engage in negotiations.
The Nations Championship will take place between Rugby World Cup cycles. It will feature 12 teams — from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres — and will see them face off in a league-style competition.
Each nation will host three matches in its own window (July or November), before touring the rival hemisphere for three away matches.
The 12 teams are proposed to be split into two conferences of six, with the two leaders at the end of the November window to meet in a final to decide the champion.
While New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina will represent the Southern Hemisphere, England, Ireland, France, Wales, Scotland, and Italy have been confirmed to play on behalf of the north.
Two more nations, likely to be Japan and Fiji, will play alongside the Southern Hemisphere teams.
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