The Welsh Rugby Union have confirmed that the owners of the Ospreys are prepared to buy rivals Cardiff

The Ospreys’ long-term future is one of the unanswered questions about what this deal means for Welsh rugby.

FIFA proposed reducing one of its four men’s professional teams – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – to three, and this agreement was seen as helping that process.

The WRU said there would be one license in Cardiff, one in the west and one in the east, which are expected to be handed over to the Scarlets and Dragons based at Llanelli in Newport.

Therefore, while the Ospreys will continue to play in the URC and Europe next season, there are no guarantees they will maintain their status as a professional team beyond the end of the 2026-27 season.

This decision will be linked when URC are able to find another team to replace the culled Welsh team in the league.

Another unknown is what will happen with the £5m development of Swansea’s St Helens Stadium, which was due to be the Ospreys’ new home from the start of next season.

Swansea Council, which is funding the project, said this week it was considering legal action to protect the future of regional rugby in the city.

The Ospreys, WRU and Swansea Council held a meeting on Thursday and talks will continue over whether the rugby team will be part of St Helen’s development plans.

Time is ticking until the ground is ready to face the Ospreys at the start of next season in September, with Mark Jones’ side playing in Bridgend this season.

Cardiff supporters have also opposed this deal and it remains to be seen how they will react to this confirmation.