World Rugby teams up with Fanatics for global licensed merchandise programme
Aligned with World Rugby’s strategy to grow the sport by increasing relevance and accessibility to younger fans on a global scale, the wide-ranging partnership aims to expand rugby’s reach by making merchandise more accessible to rugby fans worldwide. This will be achieved by creating the sport’s first ‘always on’ global merchandise destination for World Rugby and national member unions.
E-commerce, wholesale and more
Under the agreement, Fanatics will create, curate and manage the e-commerce, in-venue, wholesale, memorabilia and licensing programme for the sport’s biggest events, including two women’s Rugby World Cups (England 2025 and Australia 2029) and the men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027. Each will benefit from Fanatics' extensive global digital network and in-venue retail capability.
Online store
The online store will operate on Fanatics' advanced Cloud Commerce Platform (CCP), seamlessly integrating with World Rugby’s digital channels, including events, ticketing, and content, creating a unified rugby retail destination.
Fanatics is known for partnering with top sports brands worldwide, delivering a premium shopping experience with high-resolution product displays, easy checkout, and quick access to new product launches. Fanatics also has extensive global reach, including a major presence in important markets for rugby expansion over the next decade.
Significant experience
The company’s significant experience in rugby includes partnerships with Rugby Australia, England Rugby, New Zealand Rugby, Six Nations Rugby, and the British and Irish Lions. Fanatics currently partners with more than 900 of the world’s pre-eminent sports organisations, including Chelsea FC, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Aston Villa, Everton, the AFL, the R&A, NFL, NBA, NHL, WWE and Formula 1.
Environmental Sustainability Plan 2030
World Rugby and Fanatics will work together to achieve the ambitions set-out in the international federation’s Environmental Sustainability Plan 2030 minimising single use plastic and using recyclable packing for merchandise distributed by Fanatics while also tracking greenhouse gas emissions from its operations.
World Rugby Chief Revenue Officer Michel Poussau said: “This is a landmark deal that represents our ambition to align our events and products under a single always on destination for fans.