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Saudi Arabia not ruling out a bid for 2035 Rugby World Cup

Saudi Arabia not ruling out a bid for 2035 Rugby World Cup

The Herald22-04-2025
'A multi-host could be a successful story and a new model for rugby. UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia. Why not? The stadiums are ready there. It will be the most successful event in the history of rugby,' he said.
The UAE are ranked 49th in the world, with Qatar 87th and Saudi Arabia not in the top 113.
Australia hosts the next men's tournament in 2027 with the US in 2031.
Al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia, which has also been awarded the 2029 Asian Winter Games, has 97 sports federations and could not host everything.
'But why do we have 97 federations? Because we want to promote sports, even the smallest sports that maybe a small number of people participate in, in Saudi or there isn't that big of an interest, so at least someone can play that sport in the kingdom.'
The country has spent heavily on sport but critics accuse it of 'sportswashing' its human rights record. The country denies rights abuses and says it protects national security through its laws.
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