When Australia last hosted the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2003, premium hospitality was largely defined by the basics: a great seat, quality food and the chance to entertain clients around a major sporting event.
Nearly 24 years later, expectations have changed dramatically.
Today, premium guests are looking for access, authenticity and experiences that can’t be replicated anywhere else. The world’s biggest sporting events are no longer judged solely by what happens on the field, but by the moments they create around it. That shift has shaped every decision we’ve made while building the Rugby World Cup Experiences programme for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027.
As the official provider of premium experiences and travel, we haven’t simply set out to sell hospitality packages. We’ve focused on creating experiences that immerse guests in the tournament, showcase Australia as a host nation and offer something genuinely new to both rugby fans and corporate buyers.
Bringing guests closer than ever before
One of the clearest examples of that ambition is The Touchline.
For the first time at a Men’s Rugby World Cup, guests will have the opportunity to step onto the field itself before kick-off and experience the build-up from pitch level. As teams complete their preparations and stadiums fill with anticipation, guests will enjoy a premium food and beverage experience in a setting typically reserved for players, officials and broadcast crews.
The concept was born from a simple challenge: how do we create something that genuinely feels different from traditional hospitality?
In an increasingly competitive premium events market, access matters. We know guests are looking for experiences that create stories they’ll tell long after the tournament ends. Standing on the field moments before a Rugby World Cup match begins delivers exactly that.
The experience is then paired with the best available category one seating, ensuring guests move seamlessly from the heart of the pre-match atmosphere to some of the best views in the stadium.
A hospitality experience inspired by rugby’s global community
We have taken a different approach with Hemisphere, a concept designed around the fact that Men’s Rugby World Cup brings together 24 nations, countless cultures and fans from across the globe.
Rather than creating a traditional hospitality lounge centred around a single dining style, Hemisphere celebrates the diversity of the tournament through its culinary offering. Guests will experience food and beverage concepts inspired by both the northern and southern hemisphere, creating a hospitality environment that reflects the global nature of rugby itself.
As international visitation continues to increase, we see food, culture and storytelling playing an increasingly important role in the overall event experience. Hemisphere has been designed to acknowledge that shift.
Showcasing the best of Australia
The opportunity extends far beyond the stadium gates.
One of the unique aspects of Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 is the geographic diversity of the tournament. Very few major sporting events offer visitors the chance to experience Australia on this scale, with matches stretching from Perth | Boorloo to Townsville | Gurambilbarra and taking place across some of the country’s most iconic destinations.
Through our ticket-inclusive hospitality and ticket plus hotel packages, we’re helping guests turn match attendance into a broader travel experience.
Visitors may choose to combine rugby with Sydney Harbour experiences, world-class food and wine regions, coastal escapes, wildlife encounters or extended stays across multiple host cities. Corporate groups are increasingly exploring multi-city itineraries built around key fixtures, allowing them to blend business development, client entertainment and travel into one experience.
For international visitors in particular, the tournament becomes both a sporting event and a gateway to Australia.
Hospitality guests can expect a premium food and beverage experience at next year’s tournament.
The commercial opportunity and challenge
From a commercial perspective, Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 represents a rare opportunity.
Australia has not hosted a Men’s Rugby World Cup since 2003. For many businesses and fans, this is a once-in-a-generation event. That scarcity creates significant demand, particularly around marquee fixtures and the knockout stages.
We’re already seeing strong interest from both domestic and international markets, with some of our highest-profile fixtures having particularly strong uptake, reinforcing the appetite for experiences that combine access, hospitality and hotels.
That said, delivering a premium programme at this scale also presents challenges.
Consumers have more choice than ever before when it comes to live entertainment. Expectations continue to rise, and guests increasingly compare sporting hospitality not just against other sports properties but against luxury travel, entertainment and lifestyle experiences.
Our response has been to focus relentlessly on differentiation. Every product within the Rugby World Cup Experiences portfolio has been designed to offer something that can’t be replicated elsewhere, whether that’s unprecedented on-field access, globally inspired hospitality concepts, or uniquely Australian travel experiences.
Delivering long-term impact
Success for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 won’t be measured solely by attendance figures or results on the field.
The tournament presents a significant opportunity for Australia to drive inbound visitation, showcase host cities on a global stage and generate meaningful economic impact.
Over 250,000 international visitors are expected to travel to Australia for the tournament, with a projected direct visitor expenditure of AUS$1.3 billion across Australia. At the last Men’s Rugby World Cup, held in 2023 in France, the tournament delivered a net €871 million economic benefit to the host country and attributed to international visitation. Australia is hoping to have the same effect.
For Rugby World Cup Experiences, our focus is on ensuring those visitors leave with memories that extend far beyond the rugby itself.
Raising the bar for rugby hospitality
Premium hospitality has evolved considerably since 2003 and so has the Men’s Rugby World Cup.
Today’s guests expect more than a seat and a meal. They expect access. They expect immersion. They expect experiences that feel genuinely unique. That’s exactly what we’re building for 2027.
The matches will always be the main event. Our ambition is to ensure the experiences that surround them are every bit as memorable.
About the author: David MacCallum is the director and general manager at Rugby World Cup Experiences.