Canada's Nic Benn tackles Japan's Warner Dearns during the first half of Pacific Nations Cup rugby, in Vancouver, on Sunday, August. 25, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
November 04, 2025 - 2:52 AM
The Utah Warriors are the latest team to pull out of Major League Rugby, leaving the U.S. pro circuit with just six teams.
Utah had been one of the league's original franchises dating back to its inaugural 2018 season.
Major League Rugby featured 11 teams last season but is now reduced to six: the defending champion New England Freejacks, Old Glory DC, Seattle Seawolves, Chicago Hounds, Charlotte-based Anthem RC and California Legion.
The Warriors join the Houston SaberCats, Miami Sharks and NOLA Gold in suspending operations ahead of the 2026 season. In July, the San Diego Legion and Rugby Football Club Los Angeles (RFC LA) announced they would join forces and compete in the league next season as the California Legion.
The downsizing is bad news for Canadian players.
Canadians Emerson Prior, Tyler Wong, Sam Reimer, Gabe Casey and Nic Benn were on the Warriors roster last season.
"Up until just days ago, the Utah Warriors were committed and on track to participate in the 2026 Major League Rugby season. Unfortunately things changes quickly in the past week," Utah chief executive officer and co-founder Kimball Kjar said in an open letter Tuesday. "As of this morning, we have informed Major League Rugby that we will not participate in 2026 and are suspending club operations."
He did not detail what had changed but had been on the record on the club's need for additional investment.
Kjar, a former U.S. international, did offer some hope for the future.
"This isn't the end for rugby in Utah and when that time comes to welcome professional rugby back to our great state, I look forward to standing next to our entire Warriors Nation family to cheer our team, our Warriors," he wrote.
Utah finished atop the Western Conference last season at 11-5-0, defeating Seattle 23-21 in playoff semifinal play before falling 33-19 to Houston in the conference final.
The Toronto Arrows, the lone Canadian entry in the league, folded in November 2023 after the death of principal owner Bill Webb.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2025
News from © The Canadian Press, 2025