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PUBLISHED ON 19 DEC 2025
World Rugby have announced the Pool Draw for the HSBC SVNS Division 3, taking place at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai on 17-18 January 2026.
Hong Kong China Men qualified as winners of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, with the women narrowly missing out on a space after a defeat to Thailand in a golden point extra time in the final match of the Series.
In Dubai, the men’s and women’s SVNS Division 3 competitions will take place side by side, with eight qualified teams taking part in each competition. The pools will be played on the Saturday, with knockouts played on Sunday.
The two teams that make the Cup Final in Dubai will qualify for SVNS Division 2, joining the teams that finished in 9th-12th place in last year’s SVNS Series. This will take place in February and March 2026, with events hosted in Nairobi, Montevideo and Sao Paulo.
SVNS Division 2 will provide a route for four of the six teams to the new-look HSBC SVNS World Championship Round – three 12-team tournaments that kick-off with the 50th Anniversary edition of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens from 17-19 April.
Men’s Pools
Pool A: Colombia, Hong Kong China, Samoa, Tonga
Pool B: Belgium, Canada, Italy, Madagascar
Women’s Pools
Pool A: Czechia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand
Pool B: Argentina, Colombia, Poland, Samoa
Hong Kong China Men’s Fixtures
Saturday 17 January
- Tonga vs Hong Kong China (12:12 local / 16:12 HKT)
- Samoa vs Hong Kong China (15:50 local / 19:50 HKT)
- Hong Kong China vs Colombia (18:44 local / 22:44 HKT)
Sunday 18 January
- Knockout matches (TBD)
How to Watch
Fans around the world will be able to watch every match live on RugbyPass TV.
Pool Reaction - Jevon Groves, Head Coach of Hong Kong China Men's 7s
Pool Opponents
“I know the boys are looking forward to SVNS Division 3 in terms of facing a new group of teams, with new styles of play. We've faced Tonga a few times over the last couple of years, and Samoa as well. They have got very similar styles in terms of their physicality and have some good individual steppers. So they will be different from what we've faced in Asia. Then with Colombia, we're looking at a team that's turned over Chile, which is no mean feat because they've been a quality team in the Challenger competition for the last couple of years.”
Excitement for the Tournament
“We're really looking for performances that are a reflection of our preparation leading into the competition. We didn't show ourselves well in the Challenger Series last year, and there are a couple of things that we want to put right in terms of being competitive in that regional qualifier tier, and we want a chance to play in more tournaments. We know that doing well in the Division 3 competition can unlock a couple more tournaments of that high-quality.”
The Squad's Preparations
“Our preparations have gone really well. We had a little break after the National Games but then moved into a pretty intense training block over the last four or five weeks. The boys will have some time off over Christmas, but then they're going to be self-directed in terms of their own training in preparation for a pretty short turnaround when we come back in on the 5th of January, as we're heading out that following weekend to Dubai.”
Looking Further Ahead
“We will also look forward to the tournament as being our first in this Asian Games year. So it's important to generate that momentum, put performances in, and see where we are in relation to those other regional sides we will face in Japan in September.”
New Era for HSBC SVNS (from World Rugby)
These fixtures form part of World Rugby’s newly evolved HSBC SVNS competition model, designed to deliver long-term financial sustainability and accelerate the global growth of rugby sevens in the lead-up to the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
The model provides a clearer and faster pathway from regional competition to the SVNS World Championship within a single season, supported by an expanded 13-tournament calendar from 2026.
World Rugby Sevens General Manager Sam Pinder said: “With one month to go, HSBC SVNS 3 represents an important milestone in the evolution of our global sevens pathway.
“Bringing this standalone Challenger event to Dubai provides teams with a clear, competitive route towards the SVNS World Championship, while reinforcing our commitment to growing the game sustainably and globally.”
