WRU Issue Statement on future of Cardiff Rugby

Monday, 19 January 2026 at 20:48

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byHarry Tovey

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has today reached a decision on the sale of Cardiff Rugby, with the potential new owners being Ospreys owners Y11 Sport and Media, according to WalesOnline.

Cardiff have been owned by the WRU since they went into administration last April, but a move to return them to private ownership has taken a step closer.

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At a board meeting on Monday afternoon, the governing body will now enter a period of exclusivity with its preferred bidder over the coming weeks. The huge decision will more than likely be signed during Wales’ 2026 Six Nations campaign.

The Union’s plan to move to three professional sides may have become clearer: if Y11 were to take ownership of Cardiff, that would be a way to get down to three teams by consensus.

A consortium led by former Cardiff director Martyn Ryan, which included three Hollywood directors, was the other bidder, but now looks very unlikely to take over at the Arms Park side.

In a statement on Monday read: “The WRU board met for its January meeting today and considered the recommendation from the Executive Leadership Team on the sale of Cardiff Rugby.

“The board reviewed in detail the final two bids and unanimously approved the proposal to move forward with a preferred bidder into an exclusivity period.

“Following this decision, the WRU has obligations to liaise with a number of stakeholders over the next few days.

“We will then discuss the decision with the two bidders and the management of Cardiff Rugby, and we expect to be in a position to have completed this by next week.

“The WRU hopes to finalise the detailed negotiations with the preferred bidder and sign a binding agreement within a matter of weeks.”

Wales