You would be for forgiven for thinking that rugby union was only played by a handful of countries given the media emphasis place on the Six Nations Championship and the Rugby Championship. The truth, however, is quite different.
Rugby union is most popular in New Zealand, South Africa and Wales where it is not only the national sport but part of the nations, history, culture and tradition. However, rugby union is played across every continent and boasts over 2.3 million registered players, 405 million fans and 120 member nations.
The following list is where we believe rugby is the most popular bearing in mind player numbers, history, culture and national psyche. Of course, people will disagree but we have laid out some of our arguments beneath the table to help you understand the positions more.
Top 15 Countries Where Rugby Union Is Popular
| Country | Number of registered players | National Sport |
| New Zealand | 150,727 | Yes |
| South Africa | 405,438 | Yes |
| Wales | 83,120 | Yes |
| England | 382,154 | No |
| France | 542,242 | No |
| Fiji | 122,453 | Yes |
| Tonga | 23,873 | Yes |
| Samoa | 13, 249 | Yes |
| Ireland | 101, 922 | No |
| Scotland | 49, 265 | No |
| Australia | 230,753 | No |
| Argentina | 105,151 | No |
| Japan | 105, 693 | No |
| Italy | 87, 211 | No |
| America | 119,682 | No |
#1 – New Zealand
For such a relatively small nation, the popularity of rugby across New Zealand is massive. Rugby is the national sport of New Zealand and an integral part of the Kiwi culture.
Despite having a population of just over 5 million people, the country continues to produce an All Blacks side that has traditionally been amongst the best in world rugby.
The All Blacks have a staggering 77% win rate and a record three world cup trophies, a record equalled only by South Africa.
Rugby union remains as popular as ever and continues to be a great source of national pride for New Zealanders. Rugby has the highest spectator following out of any sport in the country.
With rugby being such a big part of New Zealand’s history and culture, along with the extremely high standard of grass-root and club-level competition, it is hard to imagine that the All-Blacks will not continue to be a formidable force in the years to come.
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#2 – South Africa
Those familiar with rugby are well aware of the mighty Springboks. The current world champions and world number one side owe their success to the massive popularity of the sport throughout the country.
South Africa has the second-highest number of registered players in world rugby, with over 405, 000 registered players. They also have the second most under-18 male players.
Rugby in South Africa has a rich history and is intertwined with the various political regimes in place during the apartheid era.
One of the greatest moments in sporting history was when Francois Pienaar lifted the World Cup with a newly freed Nelson Mandela in the 1995 world cup, just one year after democracy was reached in the country.
This was an immensely powerful and unifying moment that signaled a new era for the country, as well as the national team. South Africa has since maintained their status as one of the best sides in world rugby. The passion, expectations, and pride of South African rugby fans remain as intense as ever.
#3 – Wales
The Welsh in particular have a feverish nature to their love of rugby. They have produced some of the most talented players to ever play the game, such as Gareth Edwards, Barry John, Phil Bennet and JPR Williams to name but a few.
Wales always compete well, despite a significantly smaller playing pool then their English counterparts and they relish the challenge of playing against so called ‘bigger’ nations.
In actuality Wales should rarely be considered the underdogs given that at the time of writing they have achieved 40 overall 5/6 nations is titles which is as many as any other nation.
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#4 – England
Rugby is immensely popular throughout the UK. England is home to the world’s biggest rugby stadium – Twickenham, which seats 80,000 supporters.
Rugby has always been popular in England, but this was fueled by England’s 2003 world cup win which came in the most dramatic of fashions courtesy of a Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal in extra time.
England has by far the highest level of under-13 and under-18 participation amongst both boys and girls in world rugby which bodes very well for the future. Rugby in England continues to have a strong grassroots presence and is played across many schools in the country.
Although England only has the third-highest number of registered players in world rugby with 380, 000, the total number of men and women playing the sport far surpasses any other country in the world.
#5 – France
Rugby is well established in France, especially in the Southern regions of the country. The popularity of the sport is evidenced by the massive growth in the number of registered players, which now stands at over 542, 000. This is more than anywhere else in the world.
French Rugby has traditionally been strong, but the huge financial backing behind French club sides in recent years has taken French rugby to a whole new level. The clubs can attract the best and most sought-after players from all over the world.
This higher standard of competition has increased the popularity of rugby and has resulted in a stronger French national team that is currently the third-best in the world (at least!).
France went from being a mercurial and volatile side to a more consistently strong outfit. This rise culminated in France reaching the World Cup Final in 2015 where they were narrowly defeated by New Zealand.
This attracted a record-breaking viewership of 15.4 million on France’s TF1. The sport continues to grow and it wouldn’t be a surprise if France become the next superpower in World Rugby.
#6 – Fiji
Whilst player numbers are small in the islands of Fiji they are a phenomenal rugby nation and the sport is the countries most popular game by a long way. In particular, Fijians thrive in the sevens game where their natural physicality, flair and creativity are given full license to operate.
Unfortunately, in the fifteen aside format of the game they do struggle. Many of their best players play overseas in top teams around the world and they therefore get very little time together to prepare for any of their fixtures and apart from the occasional upset of larger nations struggle for consistency.
It is an ongoing disgrace to the sport that Fijian rugby receives so little funding from outside. Furthermore, New Zealand and Australia, amongst others, should hang their heads in shame for constantly pilfering talent from Fiji in order to supplement their own teams.
Something drastically needs to change if Fiji are going to thrive on the world stage in the manner they should.
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#7 – Australia
Rugby has been very popular in Australia and their national team have illustrious history. Much like New Zealand, the sport plays a large role in their culture. They’ve won two World Cups, in 1991 and 1999, and although the nation has slumped in the tournament in recent years, the sport is still beloved by the public.
Unfortunately, the issue that rugby union has in Australia is the competition it faces from rugby league and Australian Rules Football.
Both of these sports are currently winning the battle for talented youngsters taking up sports and also enjoy much more successful viewing figures for their respective domestic leagues.
Rugby Union also struggles in Australia at present due to the lack of a strong club game and the fact that their provincial sides perform poorly to half empty stadiums in a ‘Super Rugby’ competition involving sides from New Zealand that they struggle to compete against.
#8 – Ireland
Whereas Northern Ireland is more focused on soccer, the Republic is more focused on rugby (along with Gaelic football and hurling).
The national team has seen success and some world-class, legendary players over the years. Although rugby is hugely popular in Ireland, the variety of other sports played there muddles it status somewhat.
That said, in recent years the provinces of Munster and Ulster have shone the light in the sport of rugby with their successes in the European Cup and they have both developed somewhat of a cult following which travel in numbers and support them everywhere they go in Europe.
#9 – Scotland
Rugby is popular in Scotland but is a long long way behind football in every metric. That said, every year, Scotland compete in the six nations tournmaent which is the ideal platform for them to convert people to rugby.
Unfortunately, the Scotland rugby team never quite seem to manage to build a complete team that can inspire a nation to become more involved in the game, say in the manner that the 2003 England team did.
Of course, they have much fewer players to choose from and there are only two professional teams in Scotland but they do produce some world class players, such as, Russell Finn and Stuart Hogg. It is just a shame they cannot build on this more.
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#10 – Argentina
A strong, proud rugby nation, particularly well known for their strong scrummaging ability and physicality.
Argentina, also known as the Pumas have been competing against the very best in the southern hemisphere’s premier competition, the Rugby Championship, with mixed success over recent years, but who wouldn’t struggle with the All Blacks, South Africa, and Australia in the same competition?
The sport is behind football and basketball in terms of popularity but rugby union has a very strong foothold.
#11 – Japan
The sport has really taken off in Japan in recent years spear headed by the national teams immense progress and series of stunning victories against top tier nations.
Who can forget the 2015, ‘the miracle in Brighton‘ when Japan, aka the brave blossoms, defeated the mighty South Africa in a world cup fixture for the first time ever, or the 2019 world cup hosted in Japan when they beat both Ireland and Scotland.
Japan now boasts a thriving top domestic league too which is awash with money and where many recently retired international players go to prolong their careers and pick up one final pay cheque before calling it a day, George Kruis, for example.
#12 – The United States Of America
A thriving rugby union scene is the holy grail for rugby union right now, however, the game is yet to really take off despite significant strides being made. There is now a fully professional league in America called Major League Rugby (MLR) and featuring its very own draft system.
Once more, international players past their peak are using Major League Rugby as a way to gain new experiences, and extend their time as a professional athlete, Chris Robshaw being once such example.
Looking further forward though, one does feel that, it is going to take an almighty effort and probably a good few rule changes too if rugby union is ever going to become really popular in the US.
There are just too many well established sports that are rooted in American culture: baseball, American football, basketball and athletics to name but a few.
#13 – Emerging Nations
Whilst we have named the top tier, most obvious nations in this list, it would be remiss of me to not mention some of the countries where rugby union is growing in popularity and the national teams of those countries are showing real promise, or have already achieved remarkable things in the past.
So, a few more nations where rugby is popular, include: Italy, Georgia, Spain, Tonga, Samoa, Kenya (7s), Portugal (7s).
And, on a personal note, I am an expat in Thailand and there is indeed a Thai national team and about a dozen credible 15 a-side teams from which to select from.
Overall, it is fair to say that the professional sevens circuit and women’s game has helped a great deal in exposing more people to the game of rugby union which in my opinion can only be a good thing.
The real challenge for rugby union now is how to get back all the players into playing rugby again following the global pandemic and back on the upward growth curve that the sport was clearly enjoying.
Why not reach out to your local rugby union club and get involved, it may well be the best decision you ever make! Rugby is a great sport to get into and the community is empowering, friendly, and accessible in almost every country.
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Image Credits:
2011, New Zealand Haka, jeanfrancois beausejour from cannes, france, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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