WRU Cuts Welsh Rugby to Three Regions by 2028
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- WRU confirmed plans to reduce Wales' professional men's rugby regions from four to three beginning in the 2028/29 season.
- Scarlets or Ospreys will lose its licence, with Cardiff and Dragons retained as the capital and east-based teams respectively.
- The retained three teams will be structured as one Cardiff-based, one west-based, and one east-based region, meaning one of the two western sides — Llanelli-based Scarlets or Swansea-based Ospreys — will become defunct.
- The WRU Board stated the licensing framework and licence award process will begin in December 2026 and conclude by the end of the 2026/27 season.
- Professional Rugby Board chair Marianne Okland said there is a duty on everyone involved in the professional game to work together to determine a shared future operating model.
Why it matters: One of two storied western Welsh rugby regions — Scarlets or Ospreys — will be eliminated by 2028, ending more than two decades of four-region professional rugby and concentrating the game around Cardiff, one western survivor, and the Dragons. The December 2026 licence process gives the doomed region roughly 18 months to mount a case, but the WRU's structural decision is already made.
