{"id":386193,"date":"2026-01-02T05:28:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T05:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/386193\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T05:28:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T05:28:25","slug":"asian-international-rugby-tournaments-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/386193\/","title":{"rendered":"Asian International Rugby Tournaments 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There is still no confirmed list from Asia Rugby for the international tournaments in 2026, but several unions are also involved in World Rugby tournaments, including the new WXV format, Nations Cup and Nations Championship \u2013 we look at the Asian International Rugby Tournaments 2026.<\/p>\n<p>There also remains a question mark over the Asia Rugby tournaments due to its debt situation, suspension from 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.<\/p>\n<p>HSBC SVNS 3 Dubai 2026<\/p>\n<p>The standalone <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbyasia247.com\/hsbc-svns-3-dubai-2026-pools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">HSBC SVNS 3 Dubai 2026<\/a> event takes place from 17-18 January on Pitch 2 at The Sevens Stadium and will feature eight men\u2019s and eight women\u2019s teams competing for promotion to HSBC SVNS 2, including the Thai women and Hong Kong China men from Asia.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, UAE<br \/>\nDate: 17-18 January 2026<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-36935 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SVNS-Division-3-2026-.jpg\" alt=\"HSBC SVNS 3 Dubai 2026 Pools\" width=\"960\" height=\"563\"\/><\/p>\n<p>SEA 7s 2026<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>SEA 7s is an open invitational tournament for SEA Rugby Unions, and is organised by the Singapore Rugby Union.<\/p>\n<p>The countries potentially involved are:<\/p>\n<p>Laos \u2013 Women &amp; Men<br \/>\nSingapore \u2013 Women &amp; Men<br \/>\nIndonesian \u2013 Women &amp; Men<br \/>\nMalaysia \u2013 Women &amp; Men<br \/>\nThailand \u2013 Women &amp; Men<br \/>\nPhilippines \u2013 Men<br \/>\nCambodia \u2013 Men<br \/>\nVietnam \u2013\u00a0 Women<br \/>\nBrunei \u2013 Men<\/p>\n<p>The SEA 7s Finals (31 January 2026) will be held at the National Stadium, with the pool stages usually played at Jurong West.<\/p>\n<p>Venue:\u00a0Jurong West and National Stadium, Singapore<br \/>\nDate:\u00a030-31st January 2026<\/p>\n<p>HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026<\/p>\n<p>HSBC SVNS Singapore 2026 takes the top 7s teams in the world to the National Stadium from 31 January and 1 February.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbyasia247.com\/hsbc-svns-singapore-2026-pools-confirmed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">You can see more about the pools here<\/a>. The Japanese women are the only Asian representation on the Series.<\/p>\n<p>Both Nate Hirayama and Ruby Tui are believed to be tournament ambassadors.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: National Stadium, Singapore<br \/>\nDate: 31st January \u2013 1st February 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-27074 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Singapore-SVNS-Stadium.jpg\" alt=\"Singapore National Stadium - HSBC SVNS\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\"\/><\/p>\n<p>SEARF Women\u2019s Championship XVs 2026<\/p>\n<p>The inaugural SEARF Women\u2019s 15s Championship (the women\u2019s equivalent of the Unions Cup) will be played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with four teams involved: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>There will be semifinals on the 11th Feb with the final placement matches on Saturday, 14th February 2026.<\/p>\n<p>11 Feb 2026 | Wednesday<\/p>\n<p>14:00: Singapore vs Malaysia<br \/>\n16:00: Philippines vs Indonesia<\/p>\n<p>14 Feb 2026 | Saturday<\/p>\n<p>14:00: Loser Match 1 vs Loser Match 2<br \/>\n16:00: Winner Match 1 vs Winner Match 2<\/p>\n<p>This is a big move for the region in an attempt to get regular 15s rugby for the women\u2019s national teams.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Padang Astaka, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia<br \/>\nDate: \u00a011-15 February 2026<\/p>\n<p>SVNS World Championship \u2013 Cathay\/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens<\/p>\n<p>The Hong Kong Sevens will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, so expect a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbyasia247.com\/the-vengaboys-confirmed-to-perform-at-50th-anniversary-cathay-hsbc-hong-kong-sevens-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">big event at Kai Tak Stadium<\/a>. The event is the first of three SVNS World Championship rounds, which will feature 12 Women\u2019s and 12 Men\u2019s teams.<\/p>\n<p>The Melrose Claymore Challenge should also take place, including the HKCR 7s teams and invited teams.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong<br \/>\nDate: 17\u201319 Apr 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31935\" class=\"wp-image-31935 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Kai-Tak-HK7s-2025-HKCR-2-3.jpg\" alt=\"HSBC Global Ambassadors Abby Gustaitis and Alicia Lucas Explain Why Kai Tak Stadium and Rugby Sevens Are So Special\" width=\"960\" height=\"488\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-31935\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit \u2013 HKCR<\/p>\n<p>Unions Cup 2026<\/p>\n<p>Thailand will be hosting the Men\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>The Philippines is the defending champion. Hong Kong might field its Hong Kong Dragons, bringing the total to eight teams.<\/p>\n<p>The first round will be divided into two groups, A and B, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals to determine the finalists.<\/p>\n<p>Venue:\u00a0Bangkok, Thailand<br \/>\nDate: TBC July\u00a02026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33797\" class=\"wp-image-33797 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Singapore-vs-Chinese-Taipei-Unions-Cup-2025-21.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese Taipei vs Singapore 3\/4th Unions Cup 2025\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-33797\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit \u2013 Mr Wu<\/p>\n<p>Asia Rugby Emirates Men\u2019s &amp; Women\u2019s Championships 2026<\/p>\n<p>There is currently no confirmed news on these or whether they will go ahead in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Venue:\u00a0TBC<br \/>\nDate: TBC 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-32668 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AREWC-2025-logo.jpg\" alt=\"Asia Rugby Emirates Women\u2019s Championship\" width=\"960\" height=\"304\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Asia Rugby Men\u2019s Division 1 15s 2026<\/p>\n<p>It has been 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.<\/p>\n<p>Venue:\u00a0TBC<br \/>\nDate: TBC June-July\u00a02026<\/p>\n<p>World Rugby U20 Championship 2026<\/p>\n<p>More details need to be announced by World Rugby, but Japan is one of the teams participating in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbyasia247.com\/japan-will-join-expanded-world-rugby-u20-championship-in-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">World Rugby U20 Championship,<\/a> which will return to Georgia for the 16th edition of the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Venue:\u00a0TBC, Georgia<br \/>\nDate: TBC\u00a02026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-33898 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/World-Rugby-U20-Championship.jpg\" alt=\"Japan Will Join Expanded World Rugby U20 Championship in 2026\" width=\"960\" height=\"563\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nations Championship 2026<\/p>\n<p>Japan is the only Asian side included in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbyasia247.com\/understanding-the-nations-championship-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Nations Championship 2026<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>Round One (Saturday, July 4) \u2013\u00a0 Japan v Italy<br \/>\nRound Two (Saturday, July 11) \u2013 Japan v Ireland<br \/>\nRound Three (Saturday, July 18) \u2013 Japan v France<br \/>\nRound Four (6-8 November) \u2013\u00a0Wales v Japan<br \/>\nRound Five (13-15 November) \u2013\u00a0England v Japan<br \/>\nRound Six (21 November) \u2013\u00a0Scotland v Japan<\/p>\n<p>The inaugural Finals Weekend of the 2026 season is scheduled to take place over three consecutive days in London from 26-29 November 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Various TBC<br \/>\nDate: TBC July &amp; November 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-36299 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Nations-Championship-Fixtures-2026-.jpg\" alt=\"What is the Nations Championship?\" width=\"960\" height=\"480\"\/><\/p>\n<p>World Rugby Nations Cup 2026<\/p>\n<p>Hong Kong China is included in the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbyasia247.com\/understanding-the-world-rugby-nations-cup-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Nations Cup tournament<\/a> \u2013 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.<\/p>\n<p>Hong Kong China will have matches against Canada, the USA, Chile, Tonga, Samoa, and Uruguay.<\/p>\n<p>Venue:\u00a0TBC<br \/>\nDate: TBC July &amp; November 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-36308 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Nations-Cup-2026.jpg\" alt=\"World Rugby Nations Cup 2026 Format &amp; Schedule\" width=\"960\" height=\"481\"\/><\/p>\n<p>WXV Global Series 2026<\/p>\n<p>Both Japan Sakura 15 and Hong Kong China will be competing in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbyasia247.com\/understanding-the-wxv-global-series-2026-2028\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">WXV 2026<\/a>, although much is still to be announced. The expected timeframe will be from September to October 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Top 12 teams to compete in a home-and-away touring model (includes Japan)<br \/>\nTeams 13-18 will compete at a single destination, funded by World Rugby (Includes HKCR)<\/p>\n<p>Venue:\u00a0TBC<br \/>\nDate: TBC September-October 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-35569 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WXV-2026-2029-2.jpg\" alt=\"Understanding the WXV Global Series 2026-2028\" width=\"960\" height=\"563\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 7s 2026<\/p>\n<p>China and Colombo (Sri Lanka) should be hosting the two legs, much like in 2025, but it depends on the situation with Asia Rugby. If it goes ahead, it is also to be confirmed if it will be the same format as in 2025, with 12 women\u2019s and 12 men\u2019s teams.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: TBC<br \/>\nDate: TBC \u2013 Possibly September-October 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-35718\" class=\"wp-image-35718 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Asia-Rugby-Emirates-Sevens-Series-2025.jpg\" alt=\"Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2025 Leg 2 Colombo\" width=\"960\" height=\"786\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-35718\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit \u2013 Asia Rugby<\/p>\n<p>Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy 7s 2026<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More details are TBC.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: TBC<br \/>\nDate: October 2026<\/p>\n<p>Asian Games 2026 \u2013 Rugby 7s<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aichi-nagoya2026.org\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">2026 Asian Games<\/a>, officially the 20th edition, will take place in Aichi &amp; Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026. The final confirmed list of participating teams is still TBC.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Nagoya (Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium), Japan<br \/>\nDate: TBC 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37038 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Asian-Games-2026.jpg\" alt=\"Asian Games 2026 - Rugby 7s\" width=\"503\" height=\"553\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Asia Rugby U18 7s 2026<\/p>\n<p>Another tournament to be confirmed, but Malaysia Rugby announced this as provisionally to be held in October 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: TBC<br \/>\nDate: TBC October 2026<\/p>\n<p>2026 World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship<\/p>\n<p>Japan will host the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbyasia247.com\/japan-deaf-rugby-union-to-host-2026-world-deaf-rugby-sevens-championship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">2026 World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship,<\/a> which will be the third such event to take place, and the Women\u2019s and Men\u2019s competitions are expected to be in October or November 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: TBC, Tokyo, Japan<br \/>\nDate: October 31st (Sat) \u2013 November 3rd 2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-37039  aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026-World-Deaf-Rugby-Sevens-Championship.jpg\" alt=\"2026 World Deaf Rugby Sevens Championship\" width=\"605\" height=\"602\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Asia Rugby U20 7s 2026<\/p>\n<p>Another tournament to be confirmed, but Malaysia Rugby announced this as provisionally to be held in November 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Venue: TBC<br \/>\nDate: TBC November 2026<\/p>\n<p>Asia Rugby U19 15s Championship 2026<\/p>\n<p>The Sri Lanka Rugby Union confirmed it was awarded the right to host the tournament, but few other details have been provided<\/p>\n<p>Venue: TBC, Sri Lanka<br \/>\nDate: TBC 2026<\/p>\n<p>2026 Rugby Tournaments<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is still no confirmed list from Asia Rugby for the international tournaments in 2026, but several unions&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386194,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-386193","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-rugby","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}