The Telegraph have reported that 'the blueprint for a new ‘Club World Cup’ is understood to have been agreed' with the tournament scheduled to begin in 2025.
Talks are being held to finalise the tournament's logistics and details and are understood to be in the final phase. Travel plans set to be decided by September, while the inaugural tournament is planned to be held across various European countries.
The proposed tournament would feature the top eight sides from the Champions Cup pools and the top seven from Super Rugby, along with one extra club which would presumably be a Japanese side.
The 16 teams would be split into four pools, with the winner of each pool progressing to the semi-finals.
The competition would take place every four years, ahead of the British and Irish Lions Tour, and would replace the Champions Cup knockout stages, with the Gallagher Premiership also being condensed.
30 August 2008; Shane Horgan, Leinster, is tackled by Will Genia, Queensland Reds. Pre-season friendly, Queensland Reds v Leinster, Donnybrook Stadium, Donnybrook, Dublin. Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
While we have seen European sides take on Southern Hemisphere sides in one-off pre-season games, this tournament would finally see teams from both hemisphere take each other on in a competitive environment.
It is understood that Premiership Rugby are firmly behind the proposal, while RFU Chief Executive Bill Sweeney has given it a glowing endorsement and compared its potential to golf's Ryder Cup.
“It just will heighten excitement and awareness around the game. Fans are looking for new formats, new things to talk about. This summer there was a lot of talk around the north-south rivalry, there was almost a Ryder Cup situation towards the end there, in terms of was it going to be 6-6 or would the north win all of those final matches on the final weekend.
“There seems to be more conversation around that and [the Club World Cup] just adds to that in terms of who has the best clubs in the world, the best club set-up, is it the north or the south. Seeing some of those club powerhouses compete against each other, the clubs look forward to that.”
Proposals for similar Rugby Club World Cup tournaments have ben bandied about in the past, but the proposal of hosting it every four years and replacing the Champions Cup knockouts, will help to alleviate concerns of a congested calendar and player welfare.
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