With the confirmed list from Asia Rugby* for the international tournaments in 2026, several unions are also involved in World Rugby tournaments, including the new WXV format, Nations Cup and Nations Championship – we look at the Asian International Rugby Tournaments 2026.
Updated May 10 2026
There also remains a question mark over the Asia Rugby tournaments due to its debt situation, suspension from the World Rugby Council, and a lack of faith from some unions that the regional governing body will go ahead and organise the tournaments in 2026.
*Asia Rugby published their proposed calendar of events after we published this article, and we have updated the information based on their update, where possible.
HSBC SVNS 3 Dubai 2026
The standalone HSBC SVNS 3 Dubai 2026 event takes place from 17-18 January on Pitch 2 at The Sevens Stadium and will feature eight men’s and eight women’s teams competing for promotion to HSBC SVNS 2, including the Thai women and Hong Kong China men from Asia.
- Venue: The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, UAE
- Date: 17-18 January 2026
SEA 7s 2026
The annual tournament, which precedes the HSBC SVNS Singapore, takes place much earlier in the year than usual, but a number of unions committed to the tournament at the SEARF meeting held in December 2025. The final tally sees 8 Men’s and 4 Women’s sides set to compete.
SEA 7s is an open invitational tournament for SEA Rugby Unions, and is organised by the Singapore Rugby Union.
The countries potentially involved are:
Men’s Pools
Pool A
- Philippines
- Thailand
- Indonesia
- Laos
Pool B
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Brunei
- Cambodia
Women’s Pools
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Laos
The SEA 7s Finals (31 January 2026) will be held at the National Stadium, with the pool stages set to be played at Singapore Recreation Club.
- Venue: Singapore Recreation Club and National Stadium, Singapore
- Date: 30-31st January 2026
HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026
HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 takes the top 7s teams in the world to the National Stadium from 31 January and 1 February.
You can see more about the pools here. The Japanese women are the only Asian representation on the Series.
Both Nate Hirayama and Ruby Tui are believed to be tournament ambassadors.
- Venue: National Stadium, Singapore
- Date: 31st January – 1st February 2026
SEA Women’s Championship XVs 2026 (updated)
The inaugural SEARF Women’s 15s Championship (the women’s equivalent of the Unions Cup) will be played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and initially four teams were due to be involved: the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, with semifinals on the 11th Feb with the final placement matches on Saturday, 14th February 2026.
However, in late January, it was confirmed that Indonesia withdrew, and the format changed with three matchdays
Original Schedule
11 Feb 2026 | Wednesday
- 14:00: Singapore vs Malaysia
- 16:00: Philippines vs Indonesia
14 Feb 2026 | Saturday
- 14:00: Loser Match 1 vs Loser Match 2
- 16:00: Winner Match 1 vs Winner Match 2
UPDATED Schedule (all matches 4 PM Local Time)
8 Feb 2026 | Sunday
- Malaysia vs Singapore
11 Feb 2026 | Wednesday
- Singapore vs Philippines
14 Feb 2026 | Saturday
- Philippines vs Malaysia
This is a big move for the region in an attempt to get regular 15s rugby for the women’s national teams.
- Venue: Padang Astaka, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
- Date: 8-15 February 2026
U17 Presidents Cup 2026
The U17 Presidents Cup will be hosted in Bangkok, Thailand, from 4-10 April (originally announced as 2-8 April) and will include Boys teams from Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos.
Guam and Singapore were both originally included but have dropped out.
- Venue: Air Force Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
- Date: 2-8 April 2026
SVNS World Championship – Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens
The Hong Kong Sevens will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, so expect a big event at Kai Tak Stadium. The event is the first of three SVNS World Championship rounds, which will feature 12 Women’s and 12 Men’s teams.
The Melrose Claymore Challenge will also take place, including the HKCR 7s teams and invited teams.
Women’s Teams
- HKCR
- Thailand
- Denmark
Men’s Teams
- HKCR
- Japan
- China
- Venue: Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong
- Date: 17–19 April 2026
Photo Credit – HKCR
Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship 2026
Kazakhstan will host the three-team tournament in May 2026, with defending champions Japan, Hong Kong China, and the hosts competing from 30 April to 10 May.
30 April – Kazakhstan vs Japan
5 May – Japan vs Hong Kong China
10 May – Kazakhstan vs Hong Kong China
- Venue: Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Date: 30 April to 10 May 2026
*Dates have changed from those originally posted by Asia Rugby as 28 April – 9 May.
You can read more in our tournament preview here.
2026 Tour Fixtures – New Zealand Under 85kg v Sri Lanka Tuskers
The fixtures confirmed for 2026 are at the same venues they were played at in 2025, but in reverse order.
- Game One – Colombo – 25 April 2026
- Game Two – Kandy – 3 May 2026
Photo Credit – NZR
CASA 7s 2026
The inaugural CASA (Central Asia South Asia) 7s will be held in Tashkent from 16-17 May 2026 and will include 6 Women’s and 6 Men’s teams.
CASA originally said this would include a debut for Tajikistan, but they dont appear on the final list of teams competing
Women’s Teams
- Uzbekistan
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Mongolia
- India
- Sri Lanka
Men’s Teams
- Uzbekistan
- Kazakhstan
- Mongolia
- India
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Venue: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- Date: 16-17 May 2026
Qatar vs Saudi Arabia Men’s XV Test
The first-ever Men’s XV Test between Qatar and Saudi Arabia will take place on Friday, 15 May 2026 in Qatar.
- Venue: Onazia Training Ground, Qatar
- Date: Friday 15 May 2026
Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championships 2026 (Updated)
Asia Rugby originally released the dates and fixtures, but several online posts (including some from the unions) had conflicting information.
At the end of April, it was confirmed that the UAERF had withdrawn its side and that those matches would be counted as 0-0 draws. There was no official word from Asia Rugby by 30th April, but the interim UAERF CEO Hazem Hassan said, “This marks a good opportunity for us to build a stronger squad for next year’s challenges – there are good plans to solidify the work through hosting a great international friendly soon.”
Asia Rugby said, “The revised schedule follows changes to the tournament due to the ongoing regional conflict, which created significant logistical and operational challenges for the competition and resulted in the UAE being unable to participate in this year’s tournament.”
UPDATED May 10 2026 (times shown are local times)
- 23 May 2026: UAE vs Korea – Dubai (Cancelled)
- Sunday 24 May 2026: Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong China – Racecourse Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka – KO 15:00
- 5 June 2026: UAE vs Sri Lanka – Dubai (Cancelled)
- Sunday 7 June 2026: Hong Kong China vs Korea – Hong Kong – HKFC, KO 16:30
- Saturday 13 June 2026: Korea vs Sri Lanka – Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium, Incheon, Korea – KO 15:00
- 14 June 2026: Hong Kong China vs UAE – Hong Kong (Cancelled)
We had also already heard that the HKCR would not field its first-choice players as they prepare for the upcoming Tests in the Nations Cup, and a development team would compete in the AREMC.
- Venue: Various
- Date: May- June 2026
Photo Credit – HKCR
Brave Blossoms Match Schedule 2026
The Japanese Men’s national team has announced several Tests and non-capped matches for 2026. They begin their season by again taking on the Maori All Blacks before playing their Nations Championship 2026 fixtures (covered below). Their other Tests are two matches against Australia and hosting Canada before the end-of-year Nations Championship matches.
- Saturday, June 27th: Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2026 JAPAN XV vs Maori All Blacks – Venue: Paloma Mizuho Stadium (Aichi) *Cap not applicable
- Saturday, August 8th: Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2026 Japan vs Australia – Venue: Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiosaka City (Osaka) – 19:05 KO
- August 15th (Saturday) 2026: Australia vs Japan Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium (Townsville, Australia), 3 PM KO
- Saturday, September 5, 2026: Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2026 Japan vs Canada – Venue: Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata City – 14:50 KO
You can read more about the Brave Blossoms Tests in 2026 here.
Hong Kong China Women’s U23s vs Singapore & HKCR Dragons
Hong Kong China confirmed their women’s U23s will take part in camp and travel to Singapore to play them on 27 June, before returning to Hong Kong to play a squad from the Hong Kong China Dragons Programme on 4 July.
- Match: HKCR U23 Women vs Singapore
- Venue: TBC Singapore
- Date: 27 June 2026
More details TBC
- Match: HKCR U23 Women vs Hong Kong China Dragons
- Venue: TBC, Hong Kong
- Date: 4 July 2026
Unions Cup 2026
Thailand will be hosting the Men’s Union Cup in 2026, which again is expected to expand. Seven nations have confirmed their participation: Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Guam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan.
The Philippines is the defending champion. Hong Kong were linked to fielding its Hong Kong Dragons, bringing the total to eight teams, and in April, Vietnam was linked to enter teams, but the final teams are TBC.
The initial proposal is to have the first round divided into two groups, A and B, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals to determine the finalists.
Matchdays are due to be on the 12th, 15th and 18th July 2026.
- Venue: Bangkok, Thailand
- Date: 12-18 July 2026
Photo Credit – Mr Wu
New Asia Rugby Emirates Competition Launch – Emirates 7’s Asia Rugby Clubs Cup
Asia Rugby announced a new tournament and said, “A new Asia Rugby Emirates competition will be introduced in Sri Lanka from 1–10 July”
Following the initial announcement of the tournament,, which would only include Men’s teams, the event was then confirmed to be expanded to include 8 men’s and 8 women’s club teams, invited through their unions from the top 12 ranked Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series unions and the dates were changed to 4-5 July 2026.
They have also not said how the 16 teams will be selected after putting out a graphic saying as many as 24 unions have been invited.
Everything we know about the planned club tournament is detailed here, but lots of questions remain.
- Venue: TBC, Sri Lanka
- Date: 4-5 July 2026
World Rugby U20 Championship 2026
More details need to be announced by World Rugby, but Japan is one of the teams participating in the World Rugby U20 Championship, which will return to Georgia for the 16th edition of the tournament.
Japan U20 Schedule
- Saturday 27 June 2026 – Japan vs New Zealand
- Thursday 2 July 2026 – Japan vs Italy
- Tuesday 7 July 2026 – Japan vs Scotland
The full schedule and details were confirmed, and more details can be found here.
- Venue: TBC, Georgia
- Date: June 27 to July 18 2026
Nations Championship 2026
Japan is the only Asian side included in the Nations Championship 2026:
- Round One (Saturday, July 4) – Japan v Italy
- Round Two (Saturday, July 11) – Japan v Ireland (In Australia)
- Round Three (Saturday, July 18) – Japan v France
- Round Four (6-8 November) – Wales v Japan
- Round Five (13-15 November) – England v Japan
- Round Six (21 November) – Scotland v Japan
The inaugural Finals Weekend of the 2026 season is scheduled to take place over three consecutive days in London from 26-29 November 2026.
- Venue: Various TBC
- Date: TBC July & November 2026
World Rugby Nations Cup 2026
Hong Kong China is included in the new Nations Cup tournament – the format means each team will face all six opponents from the opposite pool. Each team will play three matches in July and three in November 2026.
World Rugby confirmed the schedule for the first three rounds in July, with all matches played in the Americas.
- 4 July 2026 – Samoa vs Hong Kong China – 15:00 – Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Pradanos, Santiago, Chile
- 11 July 2026 – Chile vs Hong Kong China – 18:00 – Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile
- 18 July 2026 – Uruguay vs Hong Kong China – 14:00 – Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo, Uruguay
They will face Canada, the USA, and Tonga in November, with details TBC.
- Venue: Various
- Date: July & November 2026
WXV Global Series 2026
Japan Sakura 15 will be competing in the WXV 2026, although much is still to be announced.
- Top 12 teams to compete in a home-and-away touring model (includes Japan)
The expected timeframe will be from September to October 2026.
- Venue: TBC
- Date: TBC September-October 2026
WXV Global Series Challenger 2026
Teams who are ranked from 13th to 17th in the world, alongside Brazil, who qualified through competing in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, will compete at a single destination in Hong Kong, it was confirmed, funded by World Rugby.
- Fiji 13th
- Spain 14th
- Samoa 15th
- Hong Kong China 16th
- Netherlands 17th
- Brazil 25th
The WXV Global Series Challenger 2026 runs from 13 September to 26 September 2026, with the tournament’s nine matches to be played as three triple-header matchdays, all to be held at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground.
- Venue: Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, Hong Kong
- Date: 13 September to 26 September 2026
World Rugby U20 Challenger Cup 2026
In April 2025, Chile announced it would host a new World Rugby U20 Challenger Cup, but there has been little news since then. However, HKCR said in May 2026 that they would be looking to send a Men’s U20s team to compete.
More details TBC.
- Venue: TBC
- Date: September & October 2026
Asia Rugby Emirates U18 Sevens 2026
This is due to be hosted in China from 12-13 September 2026.
- Venue: TBC, China
- Date: 12-13 September 2026
Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy 7s 2026 – South, South East & East
More details are TBC, but AR suggests this Trophy tournament with only South, South East & East Asian countries will take place in September in Chinese Taipei.
- Venue: TBC, China Taipei
- Date: 19-20 September 2026
Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 7s 2026
China and Colombo (Sri Lanka) should be hosting the two legs, much like in 2025. If it goes ahead, it is also to be confirmed if it will be the same format as in 2025, with 12 women’s and 12 men’s teams.
Leg 1: TBC, China – August 15-16, 2026
Leg 2: Colombo, Sri Lanka – October 17-18, 2026
Photo Credit – Asia Rugby
Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy 7s 2026 – West & Central
More details are TBC, but AR suggests this Tropy tournament with only West & Central Asian countries will take place in November.
- Venue: TBC
- Date: 21–22 Nov 2026
Asian Games 2026 – Rugby 7s
The 2026 Asian Games, officially the 20th edition, will take place in Aichi & Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026. The final confirmed list of participating teams is still TBC.
- Venue: Nagoya (Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium), Japan
- Date: 1-3 October 2026
2026 World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship
Japan will host the 2026 World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship, which will be the third such event to take place, and the Women’s and Men’s competitions are expected to be in October or November 2026.
- Venue: TBC, Tokyo, Japan
- Date: October 31st (Sat) – November 3rd 2026
Asia Pacific Seniors Touch Cup 2026
The Asia Pacific Seniors Touch Cup will take place from 8-10 October 2026 at the Tochigi Sports Park in Utsunomiya, an hour north of Tokyo.
Japan Touch Association, Board Director, Shigeru Mizukami, said, “JTA is delighted to be able to work with the Federation of International Touch to bring an international touch event back to Japan. We have waited a long time for this opportunity and are excited to be able to welcome international teams from across the Asia-Pacific region to our country.”
- Venue: Tochigi Sports Park in Utsunomiya, Japan
- Date: 8-10 October 2026
Asia Rugby U20 7s 2026
Another tournament to be confirmed, but Malaysia Rugby and AR announced this as provisionally to be held in November 2026 in India.
- Venue: TBC, India
- Date: 14-15 November 2026
Asia Rugby Men’s Division 1 15s 2026
It was suggested that India, Qatar, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia would compete for the Division 1 title, but again, this highlights the issues with Asia Rugby, as no reason was provided for why these four teams would compete in the place of others.
Originally touted to take place mid-year, it has been suggested by Asia Rugby that this will take place on 9 & 12 December in Malaysia (teams TBC by Asia Rugby).
- Venue: TBC, Malaysia
- Date: 9 & 12 December 2026
Asia Rugby U19 15s Championship 2026
The Sri Lanka Rugby Union confirmed it was awarded the right to host the tournament, and they posted the following fixtures and information:
December 15, 2026
M1 – Korea vs Chinese Taipei
M2 – Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong China
December 19, 2026
Loser M1 vs M2
Winner M1 vs M2
- Venue: Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Date: December, 2026
Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Division 1 2026
There has not been an Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Division 1 for several years, but Asia Rugby said it would announce the host union in due course. No confirmation of which teams would compete, either, but Malaysia has expressed an interest.
- Venue: TBC
- Date: TBC 2026
2026 Rugby Tournaments
- World Rugby Issues Asia Rugby a Yellow Card – Evidence Suggests It Should be a Red.
- The Best Social 2026 Rugby Tournaments In Asia.
- Guam To Join the Expanded Unions Cup from 2026.
- Japan Deaf Rugby Union To Host 2026 World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship.
Trending Now
The Best Social 2026 Rugby Tournaments In Asia
