Following the record-breaking Olympic Games in Paris, the stars of rugby sevens are set to make a thrilling return to HSBC SVNS 2025, kicking off in Dubai on 30 November, 2024.
- HSBC SVNS 2025 set to excite fans in seven iconic destinations following rugby sevens’ record-breaking attendance of 530,000 fans and tens of millions more on TV at the Olympics
- SVNS 2025 kicks off in Dubai on 30 November, 2024 as Kenya and Uruguay men and China women join SVNS. Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver and Hong Kong follow Dubai
- Singapore is confirmed as sixth round where the SVNS league winners will be crowned, with pre-sale tickets available from today
- Los Angeles to host SVNS World Championship in the 2028 Olympic Games rugby sevens venue
- Match officials confirmed with an all-female panel for the women’s SVNS 2025 for the first time
- For tickets and more information visit svns.com
After the record-breaking Olympic Games in Paris, the stars of rugby sevens are set to make a thrilling return to HSBC SVNS 2025. Featuring seven iconic global destinations and culminating with the SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles, following the penultimate round in Singapore where the SVNS league winners will be crowned.
The tens of millions of fans around the globe who were captivated by the sensational rugby sevens competitions at the Olympic Games can now get set to see the world’s best 12 men’s and women’s teams as they showcase their incredible speed, astounding skills and indomitable strength once again in the HSBC SVNS 2025.
Today’s announcement sees Singapore and Los Angeles added to the five previously confirmed destinations, meaning SVNS 2025 will feature seven rounds played across seven months culminating with the SVNS World Championships taking place at Dignity Health Sports Park, the LA 2028 Olympic venue.
As in previous years, SVNS 2025 will kick-off with a blockbuster event at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai, which hosts the first round on 30 November-1 December, 2024. Artist Stormzy from the United Kingdom will lead the star-studded entertainment off the field as SVNS continues to combine the best of rugby, music, food and entertainment.
All 24 teams then move on to the DHL Stadium in Cape Town for the second round on 7-8 December 2024, where home fans will have the opportunity to cheer their Olympic medal winning men’s team on home soil.
Following Perth’s highly successful debut as SVNS hosts in 2024 that saw a sell-out crowd for finals day, the celebrations will return to Australia’s west coast for the third round of HSBC SVNS 2025 on 24-26 January 2025 at HBF Park.
Vancouver then welcomes the SVNS for the fourth round on 21-23 February under the roof of the atmospheric BC Place. The fan favourite Cathay / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is confirmed to take place on 28 – 30 March as the first official event at the new Kai Tak stadium, and the fifth round of SVNS 2025.
The National Stadium in Singapore will host the sixth round on 5-6 April with pre-sale tickets available from today. The SVNS League Winners – the team with the most cumulative points from the first six rounds – will be decided here.
The top eight men’s and women’s teams at the end of the Singapore event will head into the winner-takes-all World Championship, taking place for the first time in Los Angeles on 3-4 May at Dignity Health Sports Park, the LA 2028 Olympics venue.
LA will also play host to the high stakes promotion and relegation play-off competition that sees the top four men’s and women’s teams from the HSBC Sevens Challenger join the bottom-four ranked teams in the SVNS standings at the end of the sixth round in Singapore to fight for the highly coveted places in future SVNS.
Olympic champions France will be looking to retain their SVNS Champions crown in Los Angeles, after they defeated SVNS league winners Argentina to claim the inaugural men’s title in 2024.
New Zealand’s women’s won their second successive Olympic title in Paris and will be aiming to reclaim the SVNS Champions title they lost to Australia at the 2024 Grand Final.
Fans in Cape Town, Vancouver and Los Angeles will have the opportunity to cheer their Olympic medal winning heroes on home turf after South Africa men, and Canada and the USA women all reached the podium in Paris.
In what is sure to be another record-breaking year for women’s rugby, HSBC SVNS will again fully embrace gender parity with men’s and women’s teams receiving equal participation fees. To ensure an equal platform for all players, all seven rounds will feature combined men’s and women’s events for all players to showcase their talents on the biggest stages across the globe.
HSBC 2025 will welcome three new teams as Kenya and Uruguay men and China women join the top level of global rugby sevens following their promotion from the HSBC Sevens Challenger with their victories at the 2024 promotion and relegation play-off in Madrid.
The women’s SVNS 2025 participating teams are: New Zealand, Australia, France, USA, Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Great Britain, Japan, Brazil, Spain and China.
The men’s teams roster includes: Argentina, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, France, Fiji, South Africa, Great Britain, USA, Spain, Uruguay and Kenya.
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World Rugby has also confirmed the 35 Emirates Match Officials who make up the men’s and women’s panels for HSBC SVNS 2025 and the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025. Details of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 schedule will be confirmed soon.
Twelve unions are represented among the 17 officials named on the SVNS 2025 panels with just over half returning from the 2024 group to join the newcomers to the High Performance Sevens Referee squads.
Eight of the officials graced the Olympic Games stage at Paris 2024, including Kat Roche (USA) who refereed the women’s gold medal match between New Zealand and Canada at the Stade de France on 31 July.
For the first time in history, there is an all-female panel for the women’s SVNS 2025.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “We are delighted to announce the HSBC SVNS 2025 schedule, featuring the best 24 men’s and women’s rugby sevens teams in the world competing in seven iconic global destinations across seven months.
“Global enthusiasm for rugby sevens is at an all-time high, with over 530,000 fans witnessing the electric action on the pitch at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, including a women’s single session record of 66,000, while tens of millions more watched on TV worldwide.
“Building on the Olympic effect and continuing the theme of innovation, we are excited to announce Los Angeles as host of the winner-takes-all HSBC SVNS World Championship 2025, which will take place in the LA 2028 Olympic venue.
“Special thanks to our title partner HSBC for their continued commitment and unwavering support to the sport, together with the excellent collaboration and teamwork with all host partners and participating unions, which makes SVNS events the ultimate festival of world class sport, music and entertainment with a feel-good atmosphere loved by fans.
“We are fully committed to the sustainable growth, innovation and success of rugby sevens as a highly impactful and successful Olympic sport. Rugby sevens is an integral part of World Rugby’s global growth strategy and plays a vital role in engaging new participants and fans, particularly in emerging rugby nations and within youth and female demographics.”
HSBC’s Group Head of Brand and Partnerships Jonathan Castleman said: “A new series brings new opportunity and we are excited to get this season underway and to partner with World Rugby to leverage the power of our international network.”
“Rugby sevens has always been such a good fit for HSBC because of its ability to bring people from all corners of the world together. This year, Uruguay and Kenya men and China women will join the HSBC SVNS via the Challenger Series, further showcasing the international reach of the sport. We are particularly excited to experience the new home of the Cathay / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. The move to Kai Tak represents Hong Kong’s ambition and drive to become a true hub of global sport and entertainment and we’re proud to continue to stand alongside the city, and the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, on that journey.”
World Rugby continues to undertake a review of the global sevens ecosystem, including the future of Rugby World Cup Sevens, as it seeks to optimise both performance and commercial outcomes on the road to the LA 2028 Olympic Games and beyond. – WORLD RUGBY
