World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 Details Announced

The details and format for the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 have been announced which this season will see three rounds taking place between March and April 2025 (two in South Africa and a final round in Krakow, Poland) to decide the top four teams that qualify for the HSBC SVNS Play Off competition in Los Angeles and a chance to gain promotion to HSBC SVNS.

Nigel Cass, World Rugby Chief Competitions and Performance Officer said: “Last year’s Challenger saw intense, exciting and high-quality competition from start to finish, demonstrating the continued growth and development of international sevens across the globe.

World Rugby is looking forward to working with the tournament hosts to deliver another high-quality Challenger series and we are very grateful to HSBC for their continued excellent support and partnership which is helping to grow this exciting and youthful Olympic sport further around the world.”

From Asia, Hong Kong China men and women, as well as Thailand women, and Japanese men have qualified.

You can also read more from a Hong Kong China perspective in our partner content.

World Rugby HSBC 7s Challenger 2025 Venues & Format

The 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams from all six World Rugby regions will battle for promotion to HSBC SVNS in a new format.

The Challenger series begins with back-to-back events in Cape Town, South Africa on 1-2 and 7-8 March 2025, with the top-ranked eight men’s and women’s teams progressing to the third and final tournament at the Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow on 11-12 April 2025.

This 2024-2025 SVNS season, there are 6 regular season events played in Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Hong Kong and Singapore to decide the HSBC SVNS League Winners, before the HSBC SVNS World Championship at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles.

World Rugby explained that  “The four men’s and women’s teams with the most cumulative points gained across the three Challenger rounds will then qualify for the HSBC SVNS Play Off in Los Angeles on 3-4 May where they will face the bottom four ranked teams from HSBC SVNS 2025.

So the 4 qualifiers from the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger will play the ninth to 12th from the HSBC SVNS 2025 for the promotion and relegation battle.

1. Cape Town, SA – Venue TBC – 1-2 March 2025*
2. Cape Town SA – Venue TBC – 7-8 March 2025*
3. Krakow, Poland – Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium – 11-12 April, 2025
4. Los Angeles – Dignity Health Sports Park – 3-4 May 2025 (Relegation play-off competition)

*Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, said the venues for the two tournaments in Cape Town would be announced in due course.

“The last time we hosted the Challenger series, the Springbok Women’s Sevens team did extremely well, and we are very grateful to have the opportunity to host two tournaments again next year. The stakes are high for the participating teams and, as we saw the last time we hosted these tournaments, the teams don’t hold anything back as they want nothing more than to achieve core status on the world series. We’re expecting two weekends of excellent sevens rugby next year.”

Last season, the top four teams from the women and men in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger after competing in three rounds (Dubai, Montevideo, and the final round was split with the women playing in Krakow, Poland and the men in Munich, Germany) advanced to the relegation play-off at the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid against teams ranked ninth to 12th from the HSBC SVNS 2024.

The Chinese women completed a clean sweep of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 and went on to qualify for the HSBC SVNS Series, while the Uruguay men did the same. Kenya also were promoted from Challenger at the event played in Madrid.

Other teams to finish in the top four in the Sevens Challenger but who did not get promoted at the final leg in Madrid were Chile & Germany from the men, and Argentina, Belgium and Poland from the women.

Which Teams Will Be Competing – World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025

Photo Credit: Asia Rugby – HKCR Men – Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2024 champions

All teams qualify for the Challenger via regional competitions, and the only remaining men’s and women’s teams will qualify through the Oceania Rugby Sevens tournament being played on 7-8 December 2024.

Women’s Teams World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025

For the women, 11 teams to have secured their places in the women’s competition.

1. Argentina
2. Belgium
3. Colombia
4. Czechia
5. Hong Kong China
6. Kenya
7. Mexico
8. Thailand
9. Poland
10. South Africa
11. Uganda
12. Oceania TBC

Men’s Teams – World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025

So far, ten men’s teams have already secured their places.

1. Brazil
2. Canada
3. Chile
4. Georgia
5. Germany
6. Japan
7. Hong Kong China
8. Madagascar
9. Portugal
10. Uganda
11. Oceania TBC
12. Oceania TBC

World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 Match Officials

Nine of the 18 officials on the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 panels are selected for the first time.

From Asia, Craig Chan (Hong Kong China), who refereed on the women’s SVNS series last season (17 SVNS tournaments in total) and was at the Paris 2024 Olympics, is included, as well as Morgan White from Hong Kong China (Men’s Panel) and Hibiki Ikeda from the Japan Rugby Football Union (Women’s Panel).

World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger News

• Fans Guide To HSBC SVNS Series 2024-2025.
• Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2024 & Bangkok 7s Results.
• Emirates Match Officials For HSBC SVNS 2024-2025 & World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025.
• Hong Kong China Rugby Confirm Appointments of 3 Match Officials For 2024-2025 HSBC SVNS & Challenger Series.