Why Australia’s most iconic stadium won’t have a Rugby World Cup game

1 month ago 4

In 2021, a group of Victorian government figures and influential local rugby identities laid out the red carpet for visiting World Rugby officials, who were in town to assess Australia’s bid to host the 2027 World Cup.

The Victorian lobby took the rugby bigwigs on a private tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the surrounding precinct, and later wined and dined them at dusk, over lobster and steak. The pitch was simple: we want to host the biggest-ever World Cup final at the MCG.

Nick Frost taps down a lineout at the MCG.

Fast-forward six years, and while Australia subsequently won the bid to host the tournament, the country’s most iconic sporting venue will not only not host the final, it won’t even see a single minute of action.

Ahead of the full 52-game fixture list being released next month, tournament organisers on Thursday announced the eight venues that will be used. The most noteworthy element was a venue not on the list: the mighty MCG.

Melbourne will host eight games, including two playoffs, but they will all be played at nearby Marvel Stadium. The chance of the bumper Wallabies-All Blacks pool game being played in Melbourne is now remote, given the lucrative 100,000-seat MCG is not available.

As reported by this masthead last year, the MCG’s availability could not be guaranteed in October 2027, due to an exclusive clause in a deal between the Victorian government and the National Football League (NFL).

The stadiums that will be used in the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The multi-year deal, announced last year by Victorian premier Jacinta Allan, will see NFL games played at the MCG, starting in 2026. As part of the NFL’s international series, the Los Angeles Rams will play a yet-to-be determined opponent in late September.

The date for the clash in 2027 remains unknown, and under the terms of the deal, the Victorian government handed the NFL the exclusive choice of the date in either September or October, according to informed sources not authorised to comment publicly.

The dates of the six-week World Cup in 2027 - October 1 to November 13 - were deliberately pushed back in 2023 to avoid clashing with the AFL and NRL finals.

But given World Cup hosting agreements require venues to be vacant 10 days before the game and two days after, if the NFL chooses to play its game at the MCG in October - as it did in three of seven International series games in 2025 - then the MCG can’t be used.

World Rugby struck a deal with the AFL-owned Marvel Stadium instead, the 60,000-seat venue where all Melbourne games in the 2003 World Cup were played.

The prospect of switching games late from Marvel to the MCG after the NFL settle on a date in 2027 was deemed unworkable, according to informed sources. Tickets go on public sale on February 18.

Through former World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper, who works for the NFL, cup organisers and the NFL held discussions about the situation, according to informed sources. But it is felt any 11th-hour change to the MCG’s availability is unlikely given the NFL’s deal with the Victorian government would need to be renegotiated during the next month.

“While the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will not be a host venue owing to availability, Melbourne is central to the overall tournament experience and will be hosting eight matches at the world-class Docklands Stadium, in the heart of a city that will be a major attraction for visiting fans,” a spokesperson for the World Cup said in a statement.

The LA Rams are coming to Australia in 2026, for a regular-season NFL match at the MCG.

Responding to questions about the NFL deal and whether any further negotiations might be held, a Victorian government spokesperson said: “The Rugby World Cup has a massive global audience and hosting games in Melbourne means the best of Victoria will be shown to millions of viewers overseas and create huge demand for visitation.”

“Melbourne offers three outstanding stadia in the centre of the city and Marvel Stadium’s recent upgrades offer great options for fans and guests at all levels, and it is the only major venue in the country with a roof – making it a unique option for events.”

Victoria’s early bullishness about hosting the 2027 final, along with other major finals and pool games, weakened and finally came to a grinding halt as the process for state governments to bid for the rights to host was being finalised in 2024.

Sources familiar with the negotiations said the Victorian government’s financial bid for the final - in a broader package of games - was significantly lower than the NSW government’s.

Around the time of demise of the Melbourne Rebels in mid-2024, the Victorian government even walked away from all negotiations with World Cup organisers. That position was later reversed, and a late deal for eight games was struck, but only for pool games and two round-of-16 games.

Accor Stadium in Sydney, the venue of the 2003 final, was again awarded hosting rights for the final and semi-finals.