Rugby World Cup Sevens

Publication date: 07 Jul 2025

The Rugby World Sevens (RWCS) is an international competition between national Rugby Sevens teams. The men’s tournament has been taking place every four years since 1993. In 2009, the first women’s tournament was held for the first time. The World Rugby is the governing body of the championship. Its activities also extend to Rugby union.

Official Rugby World Cup Sevens website

2026 Rugby World Cup Sevens

The Rugby World Sevens Championship will not be held in 2026. World Rugby has decided to cancel the tournament, which had been held since 1993. The main champion will now be chosen at the World Series Final, an annual competition between the best teams in the world. This change is needed to make the Olympics more important and to simplify the tournament schedule. Instead, the 2026 Rugby World University Sevens Championship will be held in early September in Stellenbosch, South Africa. There will also be various stages of the World Series in 2026, including the famous tournament in Hong Kong, which attracts more than 120,000 spectators. So, although there will be no classic World Cup, rugby fans will still be able to watch interesting and important competitions.

History of RWCS

The first RWCS was held in Scotland. Scotland is believed to be the birthplace of the game. It all started in 1883 when two Scottish men suggested to the Melrose Rugby Club’s manager that the number of players on the field and playing time should be reduced in order to save money. In the same year, a Rugby Sevens match was played for the first time.

Until the 1920s, Rugby Sevens was popular within Scotland.

The first Rugby Sevens tournament was held in Argentina in 1921. From then on, the game began to gain popularity.

And in 1926, the first popular Rugby Sevens tournament in England was created and it was held in the county of Middlesex.

1973 was the year when the first international tournament was held between the national teams of Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Australia, England, France and Wales. Team England played Ireland in the final and beat them 22:18.

In 1993, it was decided to hold the first Rugby World Cup Sevens. The first RWCS took place in the same year and was held at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. England beat Australia 21:17 and won the Melrose Cup.

In 2009, it was decided that Rugby Sevens should be included in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.