By Kristen Vake

A weekend dedicated to rugby is set for November 4-5 this year in Chicago. “The Rugby Weekend” will feature professional rugby games as well as community engagement and fan interaction with rugby players.

The last time a professional rugby game was played at Soldier Field was in 2014 when the USA Eagles took on New Zealand. That game drew in over 60,000 people and became the biggest rugby event in the history of the United States, according to USA Rugby.

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“We are looking forward to another fabulous weekend for rugby in the United States with our return to Chicago in November,” said USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville. “The city and its fans have shown the world how passionate they are about the sport, and we think this weekend will again take the game’s popularity to another level.”

Rugby Weekend will open with the USA Rugby Eagles taking on the Maori All Blacks. The next night the defending World Cup champions, the New Zealand All Blacks, will play Ireland, the defending RBS 6 Nations champions. Tickets for Rugby Weekend go on sale April 1.