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World Rugby Sevens Challenger

Current seasons:
2024 Women's Series
Sport	Rugby sevens
First season	2020; 4 years ago (2020)
No. of teams	12 (men's) 12 (women's)
Most recent champion(s)	Uruguay (2024 Men)  China (2024 Women)
Most titles	Men  Uruguay (2 titles) Women  China (1 title)  Japan (1 title)  South Africa (1 title)
Level on pyramid	2
Promotion to	SVNS (men's) SVNS (women's)

The World Rugby Sevens Challenger (formerly the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series) is an annual series of rugby sevens tournaments for national teams run by World Rugby that includes men's and women's events. Sponsored by banking group HSBC, it is the second tier of competition below the SVNS. Teams on the respective men's and women's tours of the Challenger Series compete for promotion to the first tier as a core team.

The inaugural men's tour for the Challenger Series in 2020 featured events in Chile and Uruguay. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, World Rugby postponed the final event in Hong Kong until October 2020.

The women's tournament for the Challenger Series in the 2020 season was announced as a stand-alone event hosted in South Africa. On 13 March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, World Rugby postponed the Challenger Series women's event without rescheduling a future date. Subsequently, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan was awarded promotion to the Men's World Rugby Sevens Series as the overall points leader in the Challenger Series. However, no women's team was promoted.

Teams

The 12 men's teams and 12 women's teams expected to compete at the 2025 Challenger Series.

Men's teams

•  Chile
•  Georgia
•  Germany
•  Hong Kong
•  Japan
•  Canada
•  Brazil
•  Samoa
•  Portugal
•  Tonga
•  Uganda
•  Madagascar

Women's teams

•  Argentina
•  Belgium
•  Colombia
•  Czech Republic
•  Hong Kong
•  Kenya
•  Mexico
•  Samoa
•  South Africa
•  Poland
•  Thailand
•  Uganda

Seasons

2020

The first season of the challenger series was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with the 2020 women's tour to South Africa being cancelled altogether and the men's final knock-out event planned for Hong Kong also cancelled.

The 2020 men's tour was played over two rounds hosted in Chile and Uruguay. Japan, as the top-placed team on the standings after the two completed events, was awarded the Challenger Series title and promoted to the World Rugby Sevens Series as a core team for the 2020–21 season.

2022

The second season of the Challenger Series was played as a single tournament on 12–14 August 2022 in Santiago, Chile at the Estadio Santa Laura, with the men's and women's winners gaining promotion as core teams on the World Rugby Sevens Series for the 2022–23 season.

2023

The third season of the Challenger Series was played over two rounds on 20–22 and 28–30 April in Stellenbosch, South Africa, with the men's winners gaining qualification to the 2023 core team qualifier event in London and the women's winners gaining qualification as a core team on the World Rugby Sevens Series for the 2023–24 season.

2024

The fourth season of the Challenger Series will be played over three rounds on 12–14 January in Dubai, UAE, 8-10 March in Montevideo, Uruguay, 18–19 May in Kraków, Poland (women), and 18–19 May in Munich, Germany (men). The top four placed men's and women's teams, based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of the third round, will secure their opportunity to compete in the promotion and relegation play-off competition at the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid on 31 May – 2 June against the teams ranked ninth to 12th from 2023–24 SVNS.

Historical results

Results by season – Men

Summary of the top six placegetters for each series:

Series	Season	Rds	Champion	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth	Ref
I	2020	2	Japan	Hong Kong	Germany	Chile	Uruguay	Tonga
II	2022	1	Uruguay	Georgia	Chile	Germany	Hong Kong	Uganda
III	2023	2	Tonga	Belgium	Germany	Hong Kong	Chile	Uganda
IV	2024	3	Uruguay	Kenya	Chile	Germany	Hong Kong	Uganda

Participation history – Men

Team	2020	2022	2023	2024	2025
Belgium	NQ		2nd	NQ
Brazil	15th	NQ	8th	NQ	Q
Canada	SVNS				Q
Chile	4th	3rd	5th	3rd	Q
Colombia	13th	NQ
Georgia	NQ	2nd	NQ	9th	Q
Germany	3rd	4th	3rd	4th	Q
Hong Kong	2nd	5th	4th	5th	Q
Italy	9th	NQ	7th	NQ
Jamaica	10th		12th	NQ
Japan	1st	SVNS		8th	Q
Kenya	SVNS			2nd	SVNS
Lithuania	NQ	9th	NQ
Madagascar	NQ				Q
Mexico	14th	NQ		12th	NQ
Papua New Guinea	11th		9th	11th	NQ
Paraguay	16th	NQ
Portugal	12th	NQ		10th	Q
Samoa	SVNS				Q
South Korea	NQ	12th	11th	NQ
Tonga	6th	7th	1st	7th	Q
Uganda	7th	6th			Q
Uruguay	5th	1st	SVNS	1st	SVNS
Zimbabwe	8th		10th	NQ

Results by season – Women

Summary of the top six placegetters for each series:

Series	Season	Rds	Champion	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth	Ref
—	2020	Cancelled
I	2022	1	Japan	Poland	China	Kenya	Kazakhstan	Belgium
II	2023	2	South Africa	Belgium	China	Poland	Czech Republic	Thailand
III	2024	3	China	Argentina	Belgium	Poland	Kenya	Uganda

Participation history – Women

Team	2020	2022	2023	2024	2025
Argentina	Cancelled	7th	NQ	2nd	Q
Belgium		6th	2nd	3rd	Q
Chile	NQ	10th	NQ
China	Cancelled	3rd		1st	SVNS
Colombia		8th	7th	NQ	Q
Czech Republic	NQ		5th	8th	Q
Hong Kong	NQ		8th	9th	Q
Japan	Cancelled	1st	SVNS
Kazakhstan		5th	NQ
Kenya		4th	NQ	5th	Q
Madagascar	NQ		9th	NQ
Mexico	Cancelled	12th	11th	12th	Q
Papua New Guinea		11th	12th	11th	NQ
Paraguay	NQ		10th		NQ
Poland	Cancelled	2nd	4th		Q
Samoa	NQ				Q
Scotland	Cancelled	NQ	SVNS as Great Britain
South Africa		9th	1st	SVNS	Q
Thailand	NQ		6th	7th	Q
Uganda	NQ			6th	Q

References

1. ^ "World Rugby launches Sevens Challenger Series". SportBusiness. 17 December 2019. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
2. Nelson, Adam (12 February 2020). "World Rugby unveils inaugural women's HSBC Sevens Challenger Series event". Sport Business. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
3. ^ "New Challenger Series to boost rugby sevens' expansion". World Rugby. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
4. ^ "World Rugby update on COVID-19 response measures and statement from Sir Bill Beaumont". World Rugby. 20 March 2020.
5. "World Rugby Statement: Singapore and Hong Kong Sevens rescheduled". World.Rugby. 13 February 2020.
6. "Sport: PNG to feature in women's Sevens Challenger Series". Radio New Zealand. 12 February 2020. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
7. "World Rugby Statement: HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series postponed". World Rugby. 13 March 2020.
8. "Plans revised for HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021". World Rugby. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
9. ^ "New Zealand awarded titles as HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 concluded". Asia Rugby. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020.
10. "Sevens Challenger Series 2022 | World Rugby".
11. "Teams aim for promotion at World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Chile - HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series".
12. worldrugby.org. "World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 schedule announced | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
13. worldrugby.org. "Sevens Challenger Series 2022 | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
14. "World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 schedule announced". world.rugby. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
15. ^ "New Zealand awarded titles as HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 concluded". Asia Rugby. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020.
16. ^ "Teams aim for promotion at World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Chile". world.rugby. World Rugby. 13 July 2022.
17. ^ worldrugby.org. "Captains ready to chase promotion at World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
18. worldrugby.org. "Uruguay, Kenya, Chile and Germany qualify for men's HSBC SVNS Play-Off in Madrid | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
19. worldrugby.org. "China claim third Challenger title as Madrid tickets handed out | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 19 May 2024.

External links

• Official website

• World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series
• World Rugby competitions
• Rugby sevens competitions
• Sports competition series