APR Games 2027: America's Pro Rugby Tournament in Las Vegas
Three nights of 10s rugby under the lights, $15,000 in prize money, five founding Las Vegas franchises and a mystery invitational side. Here is everything players, coaches and fans need to know about the APR Games 2027, and why we're building it now.
The APR Games 2027 is a pro rugby tournament in Las Vegas, built by American Pro Rugby to give players in the United States something the domestic game has been missing: a big, well-run, player-first event with real prize money and a stage worth playing on. It takes place over Memorial Day Weekend, May 29–31, 2027, with evening kickoffs under floodlights and every Men's Elite and Women's Social game played as 10s rugby over two 20-minute halves.
We first announced the APR Games as a long-term project to grow professional rugby in America. Since then the plan has sharpened. The format is now 10-a-side, the dates are locked to Memorial Day Weekend, and the prize money, entry package and founding teams are confirmed. This guide replaces our earlier announcement and sets out the current, official picture: what the tournament is, how it works, who is playing, what it costs, and how to get involved, whether you want to play, coach, sponsor or simply be in the stands on finals night. Brand new to APR? Start with our short explainer, What Is the APR Games?
- What: a 10s rugby tournament (10 players a side, two 20-minute halves) with Men's Elite, Women's Social and Youth divisions.
- When: Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday May 29 to Monday May 31, 2027.
- Where: Las Vegas, Nevada, with evening kickoffs under floodlights.
- Prize money: $15,000 in total. Men's Elite $10,000, Women's Social $5,000, Youth medals and trophies.
- Teams: five founding Las Vegas franchises plus one mystery invitational team.
- Player entry: $299, including an official team jersey, full kit bag and a minimum of three guaranteed pool games.
What Is the APR Games 2027?
The APR Games is American Pro Rugby's flagship event: a three-day tournament that combines competitive rugby, a festival atmosphere and the kind of production values players usually only see on television. It is designed around three ideas.
Players first. Too many tournaments treat players as paying customers and nothing more. At the APR Games, the entry fee comes back to players as kit, guaranteed games, an opening-night experience and a public player profile on americanprorugby.com. The prize money is real money, paid to the teams that earn it.
Rugby people want to watch. The 10s format keeps everything that makes rugby union great, the contact, the scrums, the lineouts and the breakdown, while opening up the field for line breaks and tries. With evening kickoffs and a packed finals night, it's built to win over new American fans, not just people who already love the sport.
A home for the American game. Las Vegas has a track record of drawing huge rugby crowds, and the APR Games is meant to become an annual fixture on the Memorial Day calendar: a weekend that clubs plan their season around and fans plan their trip around.
Why America Needs a Tournament Like This Now
This section is APR's view of where American rugby stands heading into 2027, and why we think a player-first tournament in Las Vegas fills a real gap.
The professional game is consolidating
Major League Rugby, the country's professional league, played its 2026 season with six teams after Utah, Houston, Miami and New Orleans stopped operating before the season, according to reporting by RugbyPass. On the field, the league delivered one of its best stories yet: the Chicago Hounds went unbeaten through the regular season and beat the California Legion 35–17 in the final in Bridgeview, Illinois, to win their first title. Off the field, though, six teams means fewer professional roster spots for American players than at any time in recent years.
That matters for the APR Games. When the top tier shrinks, the players who would have filled those rosters do not disappear. They go back to club rugby, coach, or look for competitive weekends worth traveling to. A well-run tournament with prize money and a proper stage gives those players somewhere to compete, and gives up-and-coming players a place to be seen.
The biggest events in the sport are coming to the United States
The decade ahead is the most important in the history of American rugby. The USA will host the men's Rugby World Cup in 2031 and the women's Rugby World Cup in 2033. World Rugby says 27 cities and areas entered the applicant phase for the 2031 tournament, with a shortlist moving to a candidate phase from the end of 2026. Before that, rugby sevens returns to American soil at the LA 2028 Olympic Games, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, with the women's tournament opening the rugby program.
Meanwhile, the USA men's team, the Eagles, are back at a Rugby World Cup after missing the 2023 edition. They qualified for Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia with a win over Samoa and were drawn in Pool E alongside France, Japan and Samoa. Every one of those milestones will bring new people to the sport. Those new players and fans need places to play and things to watch between the big events, and that is where domestic tournaments like the APR Games come in.
Las Vegas has already proven the demand
From 2010 to 2019, Las Vegas hosted the USA Sevens at Sam Boyd Stadium. Attendance grew from about 36,600 in the first year to a record 80,691 in 2017, making it the largest annual rugby event in North America at the time. After the event left Las Vegas, rugby's presence in the city shifted, though rugby league has since used Las Vegas to open its NRL seasons. We think the appetite for live rugby union in Las Vegas never went away. The APR Games is our answer to it.
The Format: 10s Rugby Over Two 20-Minute Halves
Every Men's Elite and Women's Social game at the APR Games 2027 is 10s rugby: ten players a side, typically five forwards and five backs, over two 20-minute halves, a 40-minute game. Most tens tournaments around the world play two 10-minute halves. We doubled it, so players get a proper game of rugby rather than a sprint, while the smaller teams keep the space, the pace and the tries that make tens so watchable.
Tens sits between sevens and the full 15-a-side game. Scrums and lineouts stay in, forwards still decide possession, and every player carries, tackles and hits rucks. The Youth division plays age-appropriate formats. Full laws and squad sizes will be confirmed with player registration. For the full breakdown of how tens works, where it came from and how teams win at it, read What Is 10s Rugby? The APR Games Format, Explained.
Get your spot on the waitlist
$299 per player includes your official APR Games team jersey, full kit bag, a minimum of three guaranteed pool games, opening-night access and a player profile on americanprorugby.com.
Divisions and Prize Money
The APR Games 2027 has three divisions and a total of $15,000 in prize money. Here is how it breaks down.
| Division | Format | Prize money | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Elite | 10s, two 20-minute halves | $10,000 total: $6,000 / $3,000 / $1,000 | Competitive men's sides chasing a title and a winner's check |
| Women's Social | 10s, two 20-minute halves | $5,000 total: $3,000 / $1,500 / $500 | Competitive and inclusive women's teams of all experience levels |
| Youth | Age-appropriate formats | Medals and trophies | Young players. No entry fees. |
The Men's Elite division is the headline competition: pool games into semifinals and a final under the lights on Monday night. Women's Social is deliberately built to be competitive without being exclusive, so established women's sides and newer teams can both enjoy a big-event weekend with real money on the line. The Youth division costs nothing to enter, because the future of American rugby depends on young players getting meaningful games. See all three on the divisions section of our homepage.
The Weekend Schedule
Las Vegas is hot in late May, so every division plays in the evening, when temperatures drop and the floodlights come on. Here is the confirmed shape of the weekend.
| Day | Date | What's on |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | May 29, 2027 | Opening ceremony (6 PM), exhibition match (7:30 PM), players' social (9 PM) |
| Sunday | May 30, 2027 | Pool games across all divisions (evening) |
| Monday (Memorial Day) | May 31, 2027 | Youth final (4 PM), Women's Social final (6 PM), Men's Elite final (8 PM) |
Saturday is about the occasion: the opening ceremony, an exhibition match and a players' social. Sunday is the busiest rugby day, with pool games across every division. Monday is finals night, building from the Youth final at 4 PM to the Men's Elite final at 8 PM. Because Memorial Day is a federal holiday, most players and fans can travel home on Tuesday without losing a working day.
The Teams: Five Founding Franchises and a Mystery Invitational
The APR Games launches with five founding Las Vegas franchises, joined by one mystery invitational team whose identity will be revealed closer to the tournament.
- Vegas Kings
- Vegas Knights
- Vegas Blackjacks
- Downtown Rugby
- Vegas Lions
- Mystery invitational team, to be announced
The franchise model gives the tournament a home identity from day one: local rivalries, local supporters and a reason for Las Vegas rugby fans to pick a side. Players who join through the waitlist will be placed into teams as registration details are confirmed. You can follow each side on our teams page.
What Your $299 Player Entry Includes
We set the player entry at $299 and made sure it comes back to players in things they actually use and remember.
| Included | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Official APR Games team jersey | Your team's match jersey for the tournament, yours to keep |
| Full kit bag | Tournament kit to train, travel and play in |
| Minimum 3 guaranteed pool games | No flying in for one game. Every player gets at least three pool games. |
| Opening-night access | The opening ceremony, exhibition match and players' social on Saturday, May 29 |
| Player profile on americanprorugby.com | A public profile that puts your name in front of fans, teams and coaches |
How to secure your place
- Join the waitlist at americanprorugby.com/#register. Waitlist players are first to hear when registration details are released.
- Pick your division. Men's Elite, Women's Social or Youth.
- Talk to your teammates. If you play for a club or social side, let your coach and teammates know so you can plan travel together.
- Start training for 10s. Forty minutes of tens is demanding. Build repeat-sprint fitness and open-field tackling now.
- Book Memorial Day Weekend. Block out May 29–31, 2027, plus May 28 if you're joining the coaching clinic.
Full rules, squad sizes and eligibility will be confirmed with player registration. Questions in the meantime? Email hello@americanprorugby.com or use our contact page.
The APR Coaching Clinic: May 28–31, 2027
Alongside the tournament, the APR Coaching Clinic runs from May 28 to May 31, 2027 in Las Vegas. It brings international coaches together for intensive sessions on attack, set piece, defense, player development and video analysis. It's built for club coaches, high school and college coaches, and players who want to move into coaching.
The clinic runs alongside the tournament, so coaches can take what they learn in a session and watch it play out on the pitch that evening. If you coach a team entering the APR Games, it's also the best possible preparation for finals night. See the coaching clinic.
Why Las Vegas?
We chose Las Vegas for the APR Games because few places in America combine the same things a rugby tournament needs. It's easy to reach, with direct flights from across the country. It has world-class hotels at every budget, so teams can travel together without breaking the bank. Its rugby history includes a decade of record-breaking USA Sevens crowds. And it is built for exactly the kind of weekend we want to create: rugby in the evening, and everything Las Vegas offers before and after.
The heat is real in late May, which is why every game kicks off in the evening. It's also why we plan hydration, shade and recovery as part of the event, not an afterthought.
For the full case, with current travel, hotel and rugby-history numbers, read why Las Vegas is the perfect home for pro rugby in America.
How to Build a Team for the APR Games
Whether you run an established club or you're pulling together friends from a social side, here is how to give your team the best chance of a great weekend.
1. Start with a core of ten, then add depth
You need ten players on the field, typically five forwards and five backs, plus enough substitutes to rotate through a 40-minute game and a full weekend. Final squad limits will be confirmed with registration, but plan for a bench, not just a starting ten.
2. Pick forwards who can run
Tens rewards forwards who can scrummage, lift and then carry in open space. A five-player scrum still decides possession, but your forwards will also be making tackles out wide.
3. Get fit for repeated efforts
With fewer players covering the same pitch, everyone makes more high-intensity efforts. Interval work, open-field tackling and breakdown technique should be in every session from now until May.
4. Agree your defensive system early
Ten defenders across the full width leave gaps. Teams that communicate and keep their line connected late in the second half win the close games.
5. Plan travel and recovery as a team
Book flights and rooms together, plan meals around evening kickoffs, and treat sleep and hydration as part of your preparation. For athlete nutrition products, our partner Clann13 is worth a look.
New to rugby altogether? Start with our guide on how to start playing rugby as an adult in Las Vegas.
Coming to Watch? A Fan's Guide to the Weekend
The APR Games is designed to be a great weekend for fans as much as for players. Games are short enough to follow every one, tries come thick and fast in tens, and the evening schedule leaves your days free.
- Saturday, May 29: the opening ceremony at 6 PM and an exhibition match at 7:30 PM set the tone for the weekend.
- Sunday, May 30: pool games across all divisions. The best day to see as much rugby as possible.
- Monday, May 31: finals night, with the Youth, Women's Social and Men's Elite finals back to back from 4 PM.
- Plan your trip: for where to stay, eat and celebrate in Las Vegas, browse the city guides at Luna Appleton.
- Gear up: rep your team with official gear from the APR shop.
Ticketing details will be shared through the APR newsletter and on Instagram at @americanprorugby. You can also follow rugby news from across the Americas on our news page.
The APR Games is made possible by our partners. Players and fans can support the businesses that support American rugby:
Looking for a gift for a teammate or the rugby fan in your family? Try Giftabiz. Interested in Las Vegas business opportunities around sport and events? Talk to In Too Win. Clubs and venues that want their name in lights can speak to American LED Signage. Want to partner with the APR Games? Get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the APR Games 2027?
The APR Games 2027 is a 10s rugby tournament in Las Vegas organized by American Pro Rugby. It features Men's Elite, Women's Social and Youth divisions, $15,000 in prize money and evening games under floodlights over Memorial Day Weekend.
When is the APR Games 2027?
The APR Games 2027 runs over Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday May 29 to Monday May 31, 2027. The APR Coaching Clinic runs from May 28 to May 31, 2027.
Where is the APR Games held?
The APR Games is held in Las Vegas, Nevada, with evening kickoffs under floodlights to avoid the late-May desert heat.
What format is the APR Games?
All Men's Elite and Women's Social games are 10s rugby: ten players a side, typically five forwards and five backs, over two 20-minute halves for a 40-minute game. The Youth division plays age-appropriate formats.
How much prize money is there?
There is $15,000 in total prize money. Men's Elite has a $10,000 pool ($6,000, $3,000 and $1,000 for the top three) and Women's Social has a $5,000 pool ($3,000, $1,500 and $500). Youth teams compete for medals and trophies.
How much does it cost to play?
Player entry is $299. It includes an official APR Games team jersey, a full kit bag, a minimum of three guaranteed pool games, opening-night access and a player profile on americanprorugby.com. The Youth division has no entry fee.
Which teams are playing in the APR Games 2027?
Five founding Las Vegas franchises: Vegas Kings, Vegas Knights, Vegas Blackjacks, Downtown Rugby and Vegas Lions, plus one mystery invitational team that will be revealed closer to the tournament.
How do I sign up to play?
Join the waitlist at americanprorugby.com/#register. Waitlist players are first to hear when registration details, full rules and squad sizes are released.
Can beginners or social players take part?
Yes. The Women's Social division is designed to be competitive and inclusive, and players of different experience levels can join the waitlist. New players should start with basic rugby skills and fitness well before the tournament.
How can my business sponsor the APR Games?
Contact American Pro Rugby at hello@americanprorugby.com or through the contact page at americanprorugby.com/contact/ to discuss partnership opportunities.
Keep Reading
Sources
- RugbyPass: MLR down to six teams as another shuts down operations
- 2026 Major League Rugby season (teams, final, champion)
- World Rugby: Men's Rugby World Cup USA 2031 applicant phase
- LA 2028 rugby sevens: venue and schedule
- Americas Rugby News: USA's Rugby World Cup 2027 draw
- USA Sevens (Las Vegas era and attendance)
- NRL: Rugby League in Las Vegas 2026
This article replaces our earlier APR Games announcement. Tournament details, schedules and prize amounts are current as of publication and may be updated. Full APR Games rules, squad sizes and eligibility will be published with player registration. Analysis sections reflect American Pro Rugby's opinion. Follow the APR newsletter for updates.