The World Rugby governing body has announced the host cities for its new top-tier sevens competition, HSBC SVNS, that will debut next year as part of the sport’s revamped model.
Earlier this year, World Rugby announced it would introduce a three-division model for 2026 designed to expand the global footprint of the short-format competition and increase competitiveness among teams as it prepares to feature at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
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For the inaugural 2025-26 season, Dubai (UAE), Cape Town (South Africa), Singapore, Vancouver (Canada), as well as to-be-confirmed stops in Australia and the US, will host the six regular-season rounds of the top-tier HSBC SVNS.
These will lead into the three-event HSBC SVNS World Championship in Hong Kong, Valladolid (Spain), and Bordeaux (France), which will decide the qualifying teams for the 2027 edition.
The 2025-26 season begins in Dubai in November this year and ends in Bordeaux in June 2026, with the hosting model locked in for the next three years in the run-up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
World Rugby chief executive, Alan Gilpin, said: “Following a competitive process, we are delighted to confirm the locations and dates for the new-look HSBC SVNS 2026 Series, which features a three-location World Championship, adding to the excitement for fans.
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By GlobalData“Moving to a two-day format has proven a hit with destinations and we are delighted with the level of engagement and enthusiasm from cities and national unions, who share our vision of advancing sevens on the world stage ahead of the LA 2028 Olympic Games.”
The participating men’s sides competing in the top-tier include Argentina, Australia, Fiji, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain. The women’s top-tier will feature Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, and the US.
South Africa is the current men’s world champion, while New Zealand is the defending women’s world champion. Both sides are paid equally across all rounds.
Host cities for the second-tier SVNS 2 and third-tier SVNS 3 divisions, meanwhile, will be announced in due course.
The second tier will feature six teams per gender across three events, while the third tier will be a standalone ‘challenger’ event with eight teams per gender.
The latest revamp comes after World Rugby branded its Sevens competition to SVNS in 2023, with banking giant HSBC, the series’ long-standing naming partner, extending its deal for another four years.
Meanwhile, continental governing body Rugby Europe is seeking a new chief executive after Florent Marty stepped down from the position.
In a statement today, Rugby Europe said World Rugby’s Jen Nielsen will act as interim chief executive while the governing body searches for a successor.
No reason has been given for his departure, but the governing body credited him with “steering numerous initiatives that have strengthened the sport’s presence and engagement throughout Europe.”
Marty said: “I am proud of what we have achieved together during the last seven years and confident that the sport will continue to thrive and expand. I look forward to new challenges ahead and remain a devoted supporter of rugby’s growth on the continent.”
