Mexico are reportedly interested in establishing a professional rugby club side for Major League Rugby and also Super Rugby Americas, following an official press release from the nation’s rugby governing body. The FMRU (Federacion Mexicana de Rugby Union) put out a recent statement, presenting their interest in forming the nation’s first team for the competitons.
The statement was first brought to prominence through Tier 2 Rugby on X (formerly Twitter), and translated the statement to present the intentions. Mexico have not set an exact timeline for these plans and there is still plenty to do from a financial perspective before the plans can come to fruition. None the less, this is promising signs to introduce a new nation to the world of domestic club rugby, and continue to grow the game.
The FMRU are said to be considering either a Major League Rugby side or entering the Super Rugby Americas competition. The Mexican side would be joining MLR at a difficult time, after the North American league has lost two clubs ahead of the 2024 season. The sole Canadian club, the Toronto Arrows, closed their doors as did former MLR champion side, Rugby New York. Both teams announced financial administration within recent weeks, with their centrally contracted players set to be re-located across the league through a draft system.
The Super Rugby Amercias competition features seven sides, with clubs represented from Argentina (Dogas XV and Campas), Brazil (Cobras), Chile (Selknam), Paraguay (Yacare XV), Uruguay (Penarol) and the United States (American Raptors). The inclusion of a Mexican side would expand the league across seven countries, in what is one of the fastest growing competition within the tier two and three nations.