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Debbie Jevans, chief executive of England Rugby 2015, shows off the Webb Ellis Cup in Tokyo on Monday, May 26, 2014.

Debbie Jevans, chief executive of England Rugby 2015, shows off the Webb Ellis Cup in Tokyo on Monday, May 26, 2014. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)

As the football World Cup in Brazil limps toward an uncertain start, the next global sporting event, the 2015 Rugby World Cup, hit the ground running with a trophy tour kicking off in Japan — hosts of the 2019 event.

The Webb Ellis Cup will tour nations that have qualified for 2015 — including the U.S. — along with several developing rugby nations. Next September’s event is expected to pack stadiums in the United Kingdom with millions of fans and draw a cumulative television audience of 4 billion, according to organizers.

The U.S. and Japan will face each other in pool play during the tournament, and both would give themselves a decent chance of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. For more information see RugbyWorldCup.com.

robson.seth@stripes.com Twitter: @SethRobson1

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Seth Robson is a Tokyo-based reporter who has been with Stars and Stripes since 2003. He has been stationed in Japan, South Korea and Germany, with frequent assignments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Australia and the Philippines.

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