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Major League Rugby
Professional rugby union competition in the United States and Canada / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Major League Rugby (MLR)[lower-alpha 1] is a professional rugby union competition for clubs in North America. In the 2023 season it was contested by twelve teams: eleven from the United States and one from Canada.[2] While operating outside of the governance and oversight of the national governing body, the league is officially sanctioned by USA Rugby—a member union of Rugby Americas North (RAN)—and is consequently part of World Rugby. The league was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Current season, competition or edition:![]() | |
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Sport | Rugby union |
---|---|
Founded | 2017 |
First season | 2018 |
Commissioner | Nic Benson[1] |
No. of teams | 12 (as of 2024 season) |
Countries | ![]() (12 teams) |
Headquarters | Dallas, Texas, United States |
Confederation | RAN |
Most recent champion(s) | New England Free Jacks (1st title) |
Most titles | Seattle Seawolves (2 titles) |
TV partner(s) |
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Official website | majorleague.rugby |
MLR began its first season in 2018 with seven teams. The league has since expanded, reaching an all-time high of 13 teams in the 2022 season.[3] Twelve teams are competing in the 2024 season.
Major League Rugby implemented its first collegiate MLR Draft in 2020.[4][5][6] Also in 2020, Major League Rugby teams started forming youth academies.[7][8]