UK to bid to host Women’s Rugby World Cup and Tour de France Grand Depart
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The UK will bid to host the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup and the
2026 Tour de France Grand Depart in a boost for British sport
Chancellor will announce £30m of funding at Budget to prepare those
bids, and a further £11m for the UK and Ireland’s bid for the 2030
Men’s Football World Cup Games would boost Government’s levelling
up agenda, with over 75% of the investment outside of the South
East The UK will bid to host the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup
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The UK will bid to host the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup and the 2026 Tour de France Grand Depart, the Chancellor is expected to announce at Wednesday’s Budget and Spending Review. In a move that could boost British sport and spur investment across all corners of the UK, Rishi Sunak is set to announce £30 million funding to back the bids. The Chancellor will fire the starting pistol on the race to hold these events, and get British sport spinning into action. The Budget will also provide a further £11m to support the UK-Ireland bid for the 2030 Football World Cup, setting up the prospect of a vintage few years of home sporting events. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak said: “I’m excited at the prospect of bringing more world class sporting events to the UK. That’s why I’m backing these British bids, with over £40m of funding to make our case. “Our bids will include events taking place across the country, and I’m hopeful that everyone will get a chance to cheer on their sporting heroes.” Our ambition is for the bid for the Tour de France Grand Depart to include stages in England, Scotland, and Wales giving people across the country a chance to watch world-class sport for free. 95% of the investment in hosting the Tour de France stages would be outside the South East. The Women’s Rugby World Cup would also see over 75% of the investment outside of the South East with matches in stadiums up and down the country. Britain is world-beating in both Rugby and Cycling, and bringing these events home will allow thousands of people to see the next generation of British sporting heroes, following on from Mark Cavendish, Poppy Cleall, and Chris Froome. Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries said: "The UK has a proven, world beating record for staging the biggest events in sport. We are backing both ambitious bids with funding because they will give people the chance to see fantastic world-class sport on home soil and hosting such prestigious events will boost local economies, jobs and opportunities." Contact Information
Freya Smith Notes to editors
Further stakeholder reaction Bill Sweeney, Chief Executive Officer of The Rugby Football Union said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Government has confirmed funding for the Rugby World Cup 2025 bid. Should our bid be successful, we firmly believe hosting this tournament across England would be transformational for the women and girls’ game, bringing thousands of players, volunteers and spectators to our sport. Working together with the Government, we can deliver a bid that inspires and showcases the power of women’s sport on the global stage. I’d also like to thank the Government for their continued support after all they have done through Covid and their recognition of the power of inclusive and diverse sport to benefit society as a whole.” Sarah Hunter MBE, Captain of the England Senior Women’s Rugby team said: “I’m really excited to hear there’s a chance the World Cup will come to England. Playing in a home World Cup in 2010 was an amazing experience and it would be fantastic for the country to host again.” Jess Breach, player for the England Senior Women’s Rugby team said: “Having grown up watching World Cups and attending in 2010, 2014 and 2017 as a fan I’ve always dreamt of being able to play in a World Cup and having an opportunity for it to be on home soil would be fantastic. The idea of the World Cup coming to England and having 82,000 fans cheering on the Red Roses at Twickenham is an exciting prospect. As well as having fans at Twickenham and around the country, it would be great to see the game grow and see lots of young girls take up rugby.” Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport said: “UK Sport is extremely grateful to the Government for their planned investment into the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, the 2026 Tour de France Grand Depart and further support for feasibility activity for a potential UK and Ireland bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. As part of our new ten-year strategic plan, we want to host a programme of inspirational major sporting events that will excite new audiences. We want to reach towns and cities across the UK and grow a more diverse and sustainable fanbase for the future of sport. With the support of The National Lottery and Government, the UK has built a global reputation as a first-class destination for the biggest sporting occasions. We look forward to working with our stakeholders on bidding for prestigious events that continue to raise the profile of the nation and drive significant social and economic benefits for those communities involved.” Brian Facer, CEO of British Cycling said: “The 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart in Yorkshire was an unforgettable celebration of our sport and is still talked about to this day, inspiring a new generation of cyclists. More importantly, those few days showcased our country’s credentials as one of the world’s best cycling nations, and we’re delighted to be supporting the UK Government’s bid to bring the sport’s showpiece event back to these shores in 2026. The Tour de France will bring significant economic benefit and investment to our communities, rapturous crowds on the roadside and a tangible legacy to get even more people riding more often throughout England, Scotland and Wales. We now look forward to working alongside the UK Government, devolved administrations and UK Sport to deliver a compelling vision for the 2026 Grand Depart, which aligns with the event organiser Amaury Sport Organisation’s aspirations, and builds on our proud track record of hosting the sport’s biggest global event.”
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