Spartanburg, SC— The College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) has announced the complete fixture lineup for the 2025 CRAA Fall Classic, returning to Spartanburg, SC, on December 6–7, 2025.
The event will once again be hosted at the Louis P. Howell Athletic Complex at the University of South Carolina Upstate, in partnership with OneSpartanburg, Inc.
Last year, a series of games that crossed conference borders afforded high-level college teams the opportunity to play opponents they don't normally see, live-streamed and in a stadium setting.
This year builds on that.
The CRAA Fall Classic has rapidly emerged as one of the nation’s top collegiate rugby festivals, uniting elite programs, pathway academies, and regional all-star teams for a weekend of high-performance competition. Returning to Spartanburg builds on a successful foundation and reinforces the strong community and institutional support behind this signature event.
“We are excited to welcome back the CRAA Fall Classic and build upon the success of the 2024 event,” said John Mark Freeze, Vice President of Sports Development at OneSpartanburg, Inc. “Spartanburg is an excellent backdrop for collegiate athletics, and we are excited to watch some incredible, high-performance rugby being played at County University Soccer Stadium.”
Spotlight Match: The Resurgence of the North American Four
This year’s North American Challenge Bowl, featuring Life University vs. the University of British Columbia, holds special significance as it helps set the stage for the resurgence of the North American Four (NA4)—a continental competition framework designed to feature the top two men’s and top two women’s teams from the United States and Canada.
The renewed NA4 will aim to strengthen cross-border high-performance pathways, elevate competition standards, and provide meaningful international exposure for student-athletes. The Life vs. UBC showdown in Spartanburg will serve as a foundational moment in this bi-national rugby initiative.
