Rugby Australia (RA) has confirmed their 2027 Rugby World Cup bid has the backing of the Australian Government.

The budget announcement on Tuesday, confirmed the government’s backing of the existing bid, with RA previously receiving AU$9.8 million in federal funding.

With federal support for the men’s tournament secured, RA are now looking to extend their bid to the women’s 2029 Rugby World Cup.

Commenting on the governments’ backing, Rugby Australia chairman, Hamish McLennan, said: “On behalf of the entire Australian Rugby community, I would like to sincerely thank the Australian Government for their commitment to Australia’s bid to bring the Rugby World Cup back to our shores.”

“The Australian Government’s support is a huge boost for our bid as we continue to work with World Rugby on developing the tournament model for Rugby World Cup 2027 and contemplate the potential opportunity to bid for Rugby World Cup 2029.

“Throughout this process, dating back to early 2019, the Australian Government has been in our corner, showing an enthusiastic level of support which has allowed us to demonstrate to our colleagues at World Rugby that Australia is a safe pair of hands with a rolled-gold record of hosting major international events.

“The breadth of the support outlined in the budget today, from investment into tournament delivery, operational support and, crucially, legacy programs for Australia and the Pacific region, now enables us to illustrate to the World Rugby Council we are ready to bring the tournament back down under,” he said.

Federal Minister of Sport, Richard Colbeck, added: “Our support for the RWC 2027 and 2029 events represents an important opportunity to strengthen relationships, particularly with our Pacific neighbours.”

“The third largest sports event in the world, the Rugby World Cup also offers the potential to provide substantial benefits including a much-needed boost to the Australian tourism industry, as well as trade, infrastructure and jobs,” he said.

The news comes after Australia was announced as the preferred host of the 2027 edition of the tournament, with the final vote happening in May.