Antoine Dupont Joins Rugby Football Club Los Angeles Ownership Group

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Widely regarded as one of the very best players of rugby’s professional era, Dupont will leverage his unparalleled success on the pitch and extensive marketing experience to guide RFCLA’s enduring success in high performance, branding, and commercial development.

Dupont’s decision to bring his on-field and off-field skills and global star power to RFCLA and Major League Rugby (MLR) represents a critical landmark in the development of rugby in the U.S. in the run-up to Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics and the U.S. playing host to the 2031

Men’s Rugby World Cup and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Dupont’s unique blend of skill, speed, strength, decision making, and leadership has captivated the hearts of his fellow Frenchmen and earned universal accolades from the global rugby community as the best player in the world and the only in history to excel at the highest levels of 15s and 7s in the same calendar year.

As national team captain, Dupont led France to the 2025 6 Nations title to add to an unprecedented string of achievements in 2024, including an Olympic Gold Medal in 7s rugby in Paris, championship runs with his club Stade Toulousain in the France Top 14 and European Professional Club Rugby competitions, and the HSBC SVNS title with France.

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At only 28 years of age, Dupont was named the 2021 World Player of the Year and has helped establish Stade Toulousain as the premier club in Europe, with four Top 14 titles and two European Champions Cup titles during his tenure there.

Dupont shared his thoughts about the opportunity ahead: “Rugby is more than just a sport; it’s a community with strong values. Beyond competitive success on the pitch for RFCLA, I am excited by the opportunity to grow rugby’s popularity in the States and establish an energetic hub of rugby culture that attracts players, fans, teams, and partners from around the world.

“Los Angeles is a unique place, combining the best of sports, entertainment, fashion, and culture – I can’t think of any other place that provides such opportunities for youth development, high performance, and commercial success to go hand-in-hand.”

For RFCLA, this represents a new era.

“We feel very privileged that Antoine has chosen RFCLA as the pathway to inspire new rugby players and fans and to join us in growing a global rugby brand. He is as dedicated to expanding the rugby community as he is to competing on the pitch and his vision for integrating the athleticism and core values of rugby will prove invaluable to building a bright future for rugby in LA and throughout the U.S.” said CEO Pete Sickle

For media inquiries on RFCLA, please contact Olivia at: olivia@rugbyfcla.com