Spain must host 2035 Rugby World Cup because Europe is sport’s commercial hub

Just imagine watching a Rugby World Cup final at FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou. It would be sensational. And it is not beyond the realms of possibility anymore after Spain announced its intention to bid for the 2035 tournament. Going up against Japan, which staged the tournament successfully – albeit with a typhoon interrupting proceedings – in 2019, and Argentina – one of those nations alongside the likes of Ireland who you assume should have hosted the tournament at some point but never have – will not be easy but it is the right choice. The nation has the stadium capacity – does anyone fancy an England game at the Estadio Gran Canaria in Las Palmas? – and the geographic proximity to the six major European rugby nations, whose fans have a huge disposable income compared to those in South America. It may have the least storied history of the three potential hosts but it has one nonetheless: its women’s team was once part of the Six Nations before bureaucracy saw them replaced with