Ireland and the IRFU have another country to contend with in the bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. World Rugby confirmed on Thursday that the USA has joined the race for the tournament after representatives attended two days of briefings and information-sharing in London last week.

The USA now joins Ireland as the two countries that have officially listed their intentions, while Italy, South Africa and France, have all previously publicly announced their hosting interest. Those countries are expected to make it a five-horse race by submitting a formal bid in the near future.

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The deadline for confirmation of a union to tender has been set for June 2016, with the successful bid to be revealed in May 2017.

“We are delighted with the strong level of serious interest from unions and governments in Rugby World Cup 2023 at this very early stage, which highlights the enormous hosting appeal of Rugby World Cup as a low-risk, high-return economic, social and sporting driver and we welcome further dialogue as the process progresses,” Rugby World Cup tournament director Alan Gilpin.

The IRFU formally announced its intention to submit a bid to host the 2023 event in Ireland in December 2014. The announcement was made in conjunction with the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, both of whom pledged their support for the tournament bid.