Two of the biggest draws in rugby, New Zealand and Fiji, will face off in San Diego on Friday, July 19th at 7:30pm inside Snapdragon Stadium.
The match was announced Wednesday at a press conference in San Diego.
New Zealand's national rugby team is known as the All Blacks, All Black legend and current San Diego Legion player Ma'a Nonu was on the stage for the announcement and had a big smile on his face for much of the event.
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"The news of the All Blacks touching down on the west coast is so exciting. Now we have the All Blacks playing in San Diego, and I believe San Diego is America's finest city, so very excited to see the All Blacks playing the Flying Fijians in San Diego."
Fiji rugby legend Waisale Serevi was also on the stage, he called it "a blessing for Fiji" to get this test on a neutral field.
The All Blacks are one of the most successful teams not just in rugby, but sports in general. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, 2011 and 2015, becoming the first country to win the World Cup three times.
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Both the All Blacks and Fiji currently sit among the top ten ranked teams in the world.
This will be history in the making. It will be the first time New Zealand and Fiji have played a rugby match against each other on American soil. It will also be the first time the Flying Fijians have played in America, and the New Zealand All Blacks first match in America since 2021.
Organizers hope this match builds momentum, the sport is growing locally and nationally, and the USA is hosting the 2031 Rugby World Cup.
Sports San Diego President Dennis Dubard said, "We are very excited to be part of this effort to bring this to San Diego and hope to be the springboard to something bigger and better."
New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson issued a statement about the match in San Diego.
“The All Blacks and Fiji share a deep connection to the game of rugby and to the Pacific region and we’d like to thank USA Rugby and our event partner TEG Rugby Live for embracing the opportunity to bring this Test to America. We want to deliver an event that will capture the imagination of sports fans across the United States and showcases the best qualities of our game. It promises to be unique and entertaining afternoon of rugby and Pacific culture, and a great advertisement for the game.”
The match will be played at 7:30pm on July 19th.
