New Zealand Rugby is set for a NZ$37M ($26M) windfall from the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, according to the London TELEGRAPH. That will come "despite New Zealand voting for South Africa to host the tournament." When France was "surprisingly awarded hosting rights" despite World Rugby recommending South Africa hold the tournament, it was revealed it had "promised the highest financial return" of £350M ($468.6M) to the sport's governing body. The breakdown of projected returns to the individual unions reportedly "showed why the French bid proved so attractive." The 10 tier-one countries are expected to share a record £192.5M ($257.7M) payout from World Rugby because of the decision to stage the event in France. World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper said, "That sounds like a lot of money for the tier-one market but they generate 95 percent of the revenues in a World Cup." The remainder of the money will be invested into tier-two and tier-three countries "to develop the game in untapped markets" such as Germany, Brazil, China, India and the U.S. (TELEGRAPH, 12/21).
