The dates for the first Olympic qualifying tournaments for the Olympic Games LA28 in rugby sevens have now been announced.
On Wednesday (29 July), World Rugby announced the dates for the 2026–2027 SVNS season, including the SVNS World Championship, at which four qualifying places per gender will be up for grabs.
This SVNS World Championship comprises three World Rugby SVNS events: Hong Kong, China (9–11 April), Valladolid in Spain (21–23 May) and Bordeaux in France (28–30 May).
A final ranking will be drawn up following these three events, which will determine which teams secure a quota place for the next Olympic Games.
Two rugby tournaments will take place at LA28: one for men and one for women. In each tournament, 12 teams will compete for the gold medal.
Rugby sevens has been part of the Olympic Games since Rio 2016. In the men’s competition, Fiji won the first two titles, while France were crowned champions on home soil at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In the women’s competition, Australia won the inaugural edition and New Zealand were crowned champions in the following two editions.