The next Rugby World Cup frontier: Is Asia ready to become a Union superpower?

Cast your mind back to the autumn of 2019. The colour, the passion, the sheer spectacle of the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

We saw packed stadiums, fans who embraced the sport with infectious enthusiasm, and a home team –the Brave Blossoms – that played with a thrilling, giant-killing spirit. It was, by any measure, a resounding success.

For years, the rugby world has been dominated by the same old powers: the southern hemisphere giants and the Six Nations stalwarts.

But Japan 2019 felt different. It felt like a door opening, a glimpse into a future where the sport’s centre of gravity could begin to shift eastward.

The question now, as we look towards the next World Cup cycle, is a crucial one for the future of the game.

Was Japan a spectacular one-off, a brilliant but isolated event? Or was it the dawn of a new era, the moment that ignited Asia’s journey to becoming the next rugby superpower?

Building on the legacy: The state of Asian Rugby today

The afterglow of a successful World Cup can fade quickly if the legacy isn’t properly managed. So, what has happened in the years since? The signs are promising, if not yet definitive.

Japan’s domestic competition, now known as Japan Rugby League One, is a genuinely top-tier professional league.

It’s attracting world-class players from across the globe – think Faf de Klerk, Cheslin Kolbe, and our own Maro Itoje.

This isn’t a retirement home for aging stars; it’s a competitive, well-funded league that is raising the standard of domestic players.

Beyond Japan, the picture is more of a patchwork, but the progress is tangible.

The Hong Kong Sevens remains a jewel in the crown of the world sevens circuit, a tournament that captures the imagination of the entire city.

We’re seeing increased investment in grassroots programmes in countries like South Korea, Malaysia, and the UAE.

According to World Rugby’s own development reports, participation numbers in the region are on a steady upward trajectory. The seeds are being planted.  

The commercial viability: Following the money

For any sport to thrive, it needs commercial backing. Passion alone doesn’t pay for stadiums and professional contracts.

This is where Asia’s potential becomes truly exciting. The region boasts some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies.

There is a huge, untapped market for broadcasters and sponsors.

The success of the 2019 World Cup proved that there is a significant audience for rugby in Asia.

The challenge is to convert that event-driven interest into a week-in, week-out following.

This requires a strong, visible professional game. Japan’s League One is leading the way, but the dream for many is a cross-border “Super League” style competition that could capture the imagination of the entire continent.

A key indicator of a sport’s growing mainstream appeal is the development of a related betting market.

It’s a sign that fans are not just casual observers but are engaged, knowledgeable, and invested in the outcomes.

The fact that major asia bookmakers are increasingly offering a wide range of markets on rugby union—not just international tests, but domestic leagues too—is a strong signal of the sport’s growing commercial viability in the region.

The hurdles to superpower status

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The road from a promising growth region to a genuine superpower is long and fraught with challenges.

• Competition: Rugby has to compete for attention with football, which remains the undisputed king of sports in Asia, as well as basketball and cricket in certain regions.
• Player Depth: While Japan has shown they can compete with the best on their day, developing the depth of talent needed to consistently challenge the likes of New Zealand or South Africa is a generational task.
• International Success: Ultimately, a region’s standing is judged by the performance of its international teams. Japan needs to become a regular quarter-finalist at World Cups, and other nations like Hong Kong or South Korea need to start qualifying for the tournament, for the narrative of an “Asian rugby boom” to truly take hold.

The verdict: A frontier of opportunity

So, is Asia ready to become a rugby superpower? Not yet. But is it the most exciting, highest-potential growth frontier for the sport? Absolutely.

The 2019 World Cup wasn’t an end point; it was a starting pistol. The combination of a huge, youthful population, massive economic power, and a proven appetite for major sporting events makes Asia a tantalizing prospect for World Rugby.

The journey will require patience, strategic investment, and a lot of hard work. But the potential reward is immense: a truly global game, new rivalries, and a vibrant new continent of rugby fanatics.

The future of our sport could well be written in the East.