World Rugby confirms Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Rugby 7s qualification

World Rugby has confirmed the qualification pathways for the Rugby 7s competitions at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The tournament will feature 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams.

As the host nation, the United States will receive automatic quota places in both the men’s and women’s competitions. The remaining 22 spots will be determined through several stages. The first stage involves the HSBC SVNS 2027 season, which runs from November 2026 in Dubai to May 2027 in Bordeaux. The four highest-ranked eligible men’s and women’s teams in the final HSBC SVNS World Championship 2027 standings, excluding the USA, will each secure a place.

Following the HSBC SVNS, six regional qualification tournaments will be held during the second half of 2027. These tournaments will provide one spot per gender for each of World Rugby’s six regional associations: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. The final remaining spots will be decided at the Olympic Repechage tournament in June 2028.