The pools for the 2026 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens taking place from 17-19 April at Kai Tak Sports Park have been released, with 24 teams competing in the first of the three-tournament HSBC SVNS World Championship Series.
The tournament in Hong Kong will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the World Championship Series will then move on to Valladolid in May and finish in Bordeaux in June.
There are 24 teams involved, while an additional 6 national teams will compete in the Melrose Claymore Challenge, meaning it’s three full days of rugby, in addition to the other sports and rugby tournaments and events happening all week.
2026 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Pools
The final 24 teams set to compete have been split into six pools – three for the women and three for the men. The 8 qualified teams from the HSBC SVNS Division 2 are at a disadvantage as several teams had barebone squads by the end of day 2 in Sao Paolo, and the injury-hit squads will be in a race against time to field their possible squads in Hong Kong.
The German and USA men and the South African women all couldnt field 12-person squads by the end of the tournament in Brazil.
The other 16 teams that have been competing on the HSBC SVNS Series, which was won by the NZ women and South African men, last had a competitive tournament in mid-March.
The Blitzboks have never won in Hong Kong, and Head Coach Philip Snyman will be without several key players. Gino Cupido has been ruled out with an ankle injury, Christie Grobbelaar (knee) and Dewald Human (shoulder) are also unavailable.
Women’s Teams
The Japan Sakura 7s are the only Asian team in the HSBC SVNS World Championship Series and have a tough Pool A, with Series and HK7s defending champions, New Zealand, who they have never beaten, Fiji, and South Africa.
In Pool B, Australia, Canada, GB and South Africa will face each other, and Pool C actually gets the three days of action underway as France plays Argentina first, followed by USA taking on Spain.
Pool A
- New Zealand
- Fiji
- Japan
- Brazil
Pool B
- Australia
- Canada
- GB
- South Africa
Pool C
- USA
- France
- Argentina
- Spain
The schedule and results can be seen online here during the tournament.
Men’s Teams
South Africa is the World Series title-holders, but Argentina are the defending Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens champions, and both are in Pool A, joined by Spain and Uruguay.
Pool B features Fiji, who are a crowd favourite in Hong Kong, as well as France, Great Britain and Germany.
New Zealand and Australia will go head-to-head again in Pool C, which also includes the USA and Kenya.
Pool A
- South Africa
- Argentina
- Spain
- Uruguay
Pool B
- Fiji
- France
- GB
- Germany
Pool C
- New Zealand
- Australia
- USA
- Kenya
You can download the full schedule for the matches here.
Melrose Claymore Challenge Teams 2026
Photo Credit – HKCR – Captains at the 2025 Melrose Claymores Challenger in Kai Tak Stadium
Women
- Hong Kong China
- Thailand
- Denmark
Men
- Hong Kong China
- Japan
- China
Fixtures
Friday 17th April
- 18:22 HKCR vs Denmark Women
- 19:38 HKCR vs China Men
Saturday 18th April
- 14:12 HKCR vs Thailand Women
- 15:16 HKCR vs Japan Men
Sunday 19th April
- 10:00 Thailand vs Denmark Women
- 10:23 China vs Japan Men
- 15:47 Women’s Final
- 16:16 Men’s Final
Hong Kong Sevens 2026 News
- 2026 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens – Fan’s Guide On What You Need To Know.
- Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Announce Partners With The Hong Kong Jockey Club & The Hong Kong Football Club.
- Melrose Claymores Teams for Cathay / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2026 Confirmed.
- TP ICAP First Nations & Pasifika Team Set to Make Tradition HKFC 10s Debut in 2026.
Trending Now
The Best Social 2026 Rugby Tournaments In Asia
