Major League Rugby records & milestones
Fact-checked records, champions and historic firsts.
Most championships
Most MLR titles
First and only MLR club to win three championships (2023, 2024, 2025), the league's most successful team. · source
New England Free Jacks
3 titles · 2025
Streak
First MLR three-peat
First team to win three consecutive MLR titles, beating Houston SaberCats 28-22 in the 2025 final. · source
New England Free Jacks
3 in a row · 2025
Historic first
Inaugural MLR champion
Won the first-ever MLR final on July 7, 2018, a come-from-behind victory over the Glendale (Colorado) Raptors at Torero Stadium, San Diego. · source
Seattle Seawolves
23-19 · 2018
First MLR regular-season match
NOLA Gold beat the Houston SaberCats 35-26 on April 21, 2018 to open the league's first regular season. · source
New Orleans Gold
35-26 · 2018
First Eastern Conference champion
Beat two-time champions Seattle Seawolves 30-15 at Red Bull Arena on June 25, 2022, first Eastern Conference club to lift the MLR Shield. · source
Rugby New York
30-15 · 2022
Founding date
League founded / first season
MLR was founded in 2017 and launched its inaugural season in 2018 with seven US-based clubs. · source
Major League Rugby
7 teams · 2018
Back-to-back titles
First repeat champion
Successfully defended their crown, beating San Diego Legion 26-23 on June 16, 2019 to become the first back-to-back MLR champions. · source
Seattle Seawolves
2 titles · 2019
Attendance
Record championship final attendance
New England beat Seattle 20-11 before a record MLR crowd at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium, setting MLR single-game and final attendance records. · source
2024 MLR Championship Final
12,085 · 2024
Title win
LA Giltinis 2021 champions
In their debut season the Giltinis won the title, beating Rugby ATL 31-17 in the final at the LA Memorial Coliseum. · source
LA Giltinis
31-17 · 2021
Compiled & fact-checked by The Sports Rise. Spotted an error? Let us know.