Major League Rugby has endured a tough week with a merger and a withdrawal reducing the competition to nine teams, but the US men’s professional rugby union competition could yet fall to just seven entrants if two more teams fail to raise new funds, the Guardian learned.

The merger of the San Diego Legion and RFC Los Angeles and the exit of the NOLA Gold were announced on Wednesday.

As fans digested that news, multiple league sources told the Guardian the Utah Warriors (like San Diego and NOLA a founding team in 2018) and the Miami Sharks, an expansion team in 2024, were seeking new funding. Sources differed on the likelihood