Leeds to Host 2028 Bingham Cup in Landmark LGBTQ Rugby Moment
Leeds will welcome one of the biggest events in inclusive sport in 2028, after being selected to host the Bingham Cup for the first time in Yorkshire.
The international LGBTQ+ and inclusive rugby tournament will be hosted by Leeds Hunters Rugby Club, bringing thousands of players, supporters and visitors to the city from around the world. For Leeds, it is more than a major sporting event. It is a chance to put the city’s LGBTQ+ community, rugby culture and hospitality on a global stage.
Leeds wins a place on the global inclusive rugby calendar
The Bingham Cup is often described as the world’s premier international LGBTQ+ and inclusive rugby tournament. Organised under the banner of International Gay Rugby, known as IGR, it brings together clubs and players from across continents.
Its arrival in Leeds marks a major step for inclusive sport in the city. The tournament has built a reputation as a powerful mix of competition, community and solidarity. Teams come to play hard, but the event also creates space for people who may not always have felt welcome in traditional sporting environments.
That matters in rugby. The sport has often been associated with toughness, tradition and close-knit club culture. Inclusive rugby clubs have helped widen that culture, showing that players of different sexual orientations, gender identities, backgrounds and experience levels can belong on the pitch.
For Leeds, hosting the tournament means welcoming an event with real emotional weight. It also gives the city a chance to show how far inclusive sport has come, and how much further it can go.
Leeds Pride welcomes the announcement
The news was warmly welcomed by Leeds Pride, which described the Bingham Cup’s arrival as a landmark moment for the city’s LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to hear the news about the Bingham Cup coming to Leeds in 2028, hosted by our brilliant friends at Leeds Hunters. “The Bingham Cup is the world championship of inclusive rugby and will bring thousands of players, supporters and visitors from around the world to our city.”
Leeds Pride also congratulated Leeds Hunters on securing the event, adding:
“Huge congratulations to the Leeds Hunters on an incredible achievement. We can’t wait to see what 2028 brings.”
That reaction reflects the wider significance of the tournament. Pride events and inclusive sports clubs often serve the same purpose in different ways. They create visibility. They build confidence. They remind people that community is strongest when it is public, active and welcoming.
Leeds Hunters will lead the city’s hosting effort
Leeds Hunters Rugby Club will host the 2028 tournament. The club has long played an important role in the city’s inclusive sporting life, creating a rugby environment where LGBTQ+ players and allies can train, compete and meet others.
Securing the Bingham Cup is a major achievement for any club. Hosting a global tournament takes planning, volunteers, facilities, partnerships and trust. It also asks a club to represent its city to visitors who may be travelling a long way to take part.
For Leeds Hunters, the event will place years of community work in the spotlight. The club will not only be organising matches and welcoming teams. It will be helping shape how visitors experience Leeds, Yorkshire and UK inclusive rugby.
The tournament is expected to attract thousands of people. That includes players, coaches, match officials, families, friends and supporters. Hotels, venues, transport links, hospitality businesses and community organisations are all likely to feel the impact.
Yet the deeper value is not only economic. Events like this leave memories, networks and new players behind. Someone who watches a match in 2028 may decide to join a club. Someone who travels to Leeds may return home feeling that rugby has a place for them after all.
The story behind the Bingham Cup
The tournament is named in honour of Mark Bingham, an openly gay rugby player, public relations executive and activist from California.
Bingham became an enduring figure in both LGBTQ+ and sporting communities. He was one of the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 during the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. After learning of the attacks on New York and Washington, passengers on the flight resisted the hijackers. Their actions prevented the aircraft from reaching its intended target before it crashed in Pennsylvania.
His story carries deep meaning for the tournament that bears his name. The Bingham Cup honours courage, but it also honours belonging. It connects rugby with a wider history of visibility, activism and community strength.
That is why the event is not simply another international fixture. It has a memorial purpose as well as a sporting one. Each edition carries forward a legacy that links LGBTQ+ inclusion with bravery, friendship and team spirit.
Why 2028 matters for Leeds
Leeds has a strong record as a sporting city, with passionate support across football, rugby league, rugby union, cricket and grassroots sport. The Bingham Cup adds something different to that mix. It brings international recognition through an event built around inclusion.
The tournament will also land in a city with a visible and active LGBTQ+ community. Leeds Pride is one of the key public expressions of that community, while local groups, venues, charities and sports clubs help maintain that support year-round.
Hosting the Bingham Cup gives Leeds the chance to connect those strengths. The city can show that inclusion is not limited to one parade, one district or one weekend. It can live in changing rooms, on touchlines, in clubhouses and across the wider city.
For visitors, the 2028 tournament will be a reason to discover Leeds. For local people, it will be a chance to see world-level inclusive sport up close. For young LGBTQ+ people and allies, it may offer something even more lasting: proof that there is room to take part, compete and belong.
What comes next before the tournament arrives
There is still time before 2028, and much of the planning will develop over the coming years. Major tournaments involve practical work as well as celebration. The city will need to prepare for teams, fixtures, volunteers, venues and visitors.
The key areas to watch will include:
Details of tournament venues and match schedules
Volunteer opportunities linked to the event
Community activities around inclusive sport
Travel and visitor information for teams and supporters
Partnerships between Leeds Hunters, LGBTQ+ groups and local organisations
As the tournament gets closer, the sense of anticipation is likely to grow. The announcement has already given Leeds something to celebrate. The next stage will be turning that excitement into a welcoming event that reflects the best of the city.
The 2028 Bingham Cup will be a landmark moment for Leeds, Leeds Hunters and the wider LGBTQ+ sporting community. It will bring international rugby to Yorkshire, but its meaning will reach far beyond the final whistle.
At its heart, the tournament is about courage, connection and the right to belong in sport. In 2028, Leeds will have the chance to show that message to the world.
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