And here is the first EU team to take part in an international competition…

On 26 September, the first players of the European Parliament rugby team gathered in Boitsfort for their first training session with head coach Alain Bloedt. From a small group of around ten that evening, the numbers have grown considerably to having over 60 players on the pitch by spring 2023.

For the Parliamentary World Cup, which will take place from 31 August to 7 September 2023, the French organisers have requested that the parliamentary delegations be made up of 35 players. We therefore selected 35 players, men and women, and 5 staff members at the beginning of July, who will leave on the morning of 31 August by train for Toulouse.

This European team is made up of 15 nationalities, 8 current and former MEPs, the European Parliament (with all its political groups), the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, as well as a large number of Member State representatives. This mixed team is ready to take on the sporting challenges that lie ahead in France this September, and to raise the European Union's colours high.