WXV Global Series Challenger 2026 To Be Hosted in Hong Kong With Six Teams Involved

Hong Kong will play host to the WXV Global Series Challenger 2026 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.

The announcement was made at a press conference held jointly by World Rugby and Hong Kong China Rugby on the final morning of the 50th Anniversary edition of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.

World Rugby’s single-destination tournament features the women’s 15s rugby 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.

Sally Horrox, World Rugby’s Chief of Women’s Rugby, said, “With Hong Kong China set to host the Challenger in September, we are providing unions with the opportunity to play more consistent, high-quality competition, while the top 12 teams compete in an exciting home-and-away series.

This new hybrid model, developed in partnership with the participating unions, delivers more meaningful competition, strengthens player pathways, and gives fans around the world even more opportunities to engage with women’s rugby.”

Photo Credit- World Rugby – Sally Horrox, World Rugby’s Chief of Women’s Rugby

WXV Global Series Challenger 2026 Teams

Hong Kong China earned their place on the WXV Global Series as the 16th-placed team in World Rugby’s global rankings when the seedings were set at the conclusion of WVX 2024, and will remain fixed through the 2026-28 cycle.

They will welcome Brazil, Fiji, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain with nine matches spread over three weekends. Brazil, Fiji, Samoa and Spain all played at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, a testament to the quality of rugby fans in Hong Kong can expect later this year.

• Fiji 13th
• Spain 14th
• Samoa 15th
• Hong Kong China 16th
• Netherlands 17th
• Brazil 25th

(Rankings as of 21 April 2026)

The 2025 Policy Address by Hong Kong Chief Executive Mr John KC Lee pledged to continue supporting elite sports and to maintain Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events. Hong Kong China Rugby CEO, James Farndon, commented:

“Building on the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens move to Kai Tak Stadium in March 2025, the successful delivery of the Rugby Sevens competition at the 15th National Games in November 2025, and now an incredible 50th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Sevens – this event presents another great opportunity to entertain rugby fans, engage new fanbases and inspire people to play our sport.

These events also bring a significant economic impact, with the 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens reporting this at $97 Million USD to the Hong Kong economy, as well as paving the way for us to bring more events to Hong Kong in future,” said the HKCR CEO.

Photo Credit – World Rugby – Hong Kong China Rugby CEO, James Farndon

HKCR Women’s XV

Hong Kong China Women’s XV appeared at WXV 3 in 2024 (the previous WXV format had three divisions of six teams), and narrowly missed out on qualification for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England. The team came runners-up in the Asia Rugby Championship 2025 in Japan before winning the 3 Lander Cup invitational tournament in Germany in November 2025.

James Farndon added,“Playing top-level representative rugby on home soil presents a fantastic focal point for the women’s and girls’ game in Hong Kong. In addition to our men’s XVs qualifying for Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, this tournament will enable us to maintain a positive strategic emphasis on both men’s and women’s rugby.”

Hong Kong China Rugby Hall of Famer Royce Chan, who was the Head Coach of the Women’s XVs from 2022 to 2024 and now leads several HKCR development programmes for women, explained the importance of hosting.

“There is nothing quite like playing in front of a home crowd. I remember in 2024 when our Women’s 15s played at home to qualify for the WXV3 competition, the raw emotion on the field and the smiling faces in the stands were incredible. For our players – most of whom balance elite rugby with full-time jobs – playing three representative matches at home against world-class opponents will be a real highlight.

Photo Credit HKCR – Hong Kong China Women’s XV

A strong domestic season is the engine room for our representative team, supported by HKCR’s investment in Women’s Club Coaching Officers at each team. In 2024/25 we’ve seen lots of overseas talent join the Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Premiership, which helped our local players step up physically and tactically. The Asia Rugby Women’s Championship in Kazakhstan will also help springboard the team into WXV.

“Seeing the senior team compete on a global stage in Hong Kong makes the dream feel ‘real’ and attainable for future stars across Hong Kong. Our development programmes are all about building a bridge, including our new Dragons programme which provides opportunities for both emerging players and female coaches to elevate their game, preparing us for the next level of league and international competitions.”

Women’s Specific Controversial Ball Trial Continues at WXV

Photo Credit- World Rugby

World Rugby confirmed that the women’s specific, 4.5 size ball trial will continue and extend to the 15s game through the WXV Global Series. 

World Rugby’s Chief Player Welfare and Rugby Services Officer Mark Harrington said: “The anecdotal feedback on the use of a specific ball for the women’s game in sevens has been positive, in line with the other trials we’ve held to date.  It’s clearly important to see how the new ball works in the elite 15s game as well, and we’re excited to see how a women’s specific ball helps the very best players at the WXV Global Series showcase their skills.

Along with the Sevens players, we’ll carefully take stock of player feedback, injury surveillance and shape of the game data from the WXV Global Series. From there, together with the wider women’s game, we’ll assess the findings and look at where we go next.”

Pathway to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029

The WXV Global Series remains fully aligned with the qualification pathway for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 for teams across all six World Rugby regions.

In addition to Australia, which automatically qualified as the host union, participating teams for Australia 2029 will be determined through:

• RWC 2025 final placing with Canada, England, France and New Zealand having qualified after making the semi-finals
• Eight teams through 2027 regional competitions
• The best two non-qualified teams via World Rugby Women’s Rankings at the end of the 2027 international window
• Final place decided by the WXV Global Series Challenger 2028, which will serve as the Final Qualification Tournament (FQT).

Further details on match schedules, broadcast, and fan engagement activities for the WXV Global Series, including the Challenger, will be confirmed ahead of the 2026 competition window.

Asian Rugby Tournament News 2026

• South African Men Secure First Ever Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong 7s Title.
• Asian International Rugby Tournaments 2026.
• Hong Kong China Rugby Announces Women’s XV Coaching Setup for Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship 2026.
• Hong Kong China Men’s XV Head To South America for July World Rugby Nations Cup 2026 Fixtures.