SALT LAKE CITY – Professional rugby players from around the world are in Salt Lake City ahead of the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup Final this weekend.

Teams from Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa and Tonga will battle it out to qualify for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.

It’s the first time these finals have ever been played in the United States.

For Utah’s Pacific Islander community, it’s a chance to cheer for home nations in their own backyard.

Professional rugby players from around the world are in Salt Lake City ahead of the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup Final this weekend. Pictured Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Noah Giles, KSL TV)

KSL caught up with players from the Tonga and Samoa teams. They said they could feel support from Utah’s Polynesian community as they were welcomed to the

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