Celebrating rugby's heritage and the diversity, unity and growth of the modern game

All eyes will be on Japan from today as the host of the 2019 World Rugby Cup, with excitement building both home and abroad in the run up to the tournament.

Following the successful launch of World Rugby (previously the International Rugby Board - IRB) in 2015, Rugby World Cup Japan 2019 marks a new era for this prestigious event. The tournament will be the first Rugby World Cup to fully utilise new assets created by FutureBrand as part of the Visual Identity refresh,­­­­ and will strengthen the relationship between the World Rugby corporate brand and its portfolio of assets.

Nick Sykes, FutureBrand's Global CEO says "It is the first time the Rugby World Cup is taking place in Asia and it’s a unique and significant milestone in the history of Rugby and the World Cup. In choosing Japan as the host for this year's tournament, it will be a unique opportunity to grow and promote the sport, uniting even more players and countries to embrace the game."

We created the new emblem for Japan 2019 using the universal language of sport to tell a unique story specific to Japan.

"Unity is the foundation on which the Rugby World Cup Japan 2019 identity is based. Mount Fuji, a universal symbol of Japan, and the rising sun come together within the frame work of the World Rugby mark, to symbolise the unity between Rugby and Japan, bringing the sport of Rugby to both a global and local audience” Sykes continues.

It supports World Rugby's mission to build a stronger connection with fans, players and commercial partners, and ultimately unite new audiences from around the world – something that will be particularly relevant for the tournament in Japan. The iconic brand was launched during the closing ceremony of the last World Cup at Twickenham and a full visual system and look and feel has been rolled out leading up to this year's tournament.

It appears that the decision to host the event in Japan has paid off with unprecedented interest among fans, broadcasters and corporate sponsors after the unlikely victory of the Japanese team over the two-time champions four years ago. In the run up to the start of the event fans have been flocking to watch the teams train with 15,000 people showing up to watch the Welsh team prepare; the value of international broadcasting deals has increased because of lucrative deals with Japanese broadcasters; and the sponsorship deals have maintained their value thanks to the desire of established global corporate partners to target consumers in Asia and new Japanese corporates seizing the opportunity.

Commercial revenues will be higher in Japan than they were for the last tournament in England so it will be crucial to sustain that interest in Japan beyond the event and we believe the World Rugby brand will help them to do just that.

Find out more about our work with World Rugby.