Kenya has been selected to host one round of the second-tier World Rugby Sevens Series (HSBC Division 2) at Nyayo National Stadium on February 14–15, 2026.
Both Kenyan sides—the Shujaa (men) and the Lionesses (women)—will compete in Division 2 after missing out on the top-tier HSBC SVNS Series, following World Rugby’s introduction of a new three-tier structure in May 2025.
Kenya Rugby Union CEO Thomas Odundo said World Rugby had evaluated Kenya’s ability to host major tournaments and expressed confidence in the country’s capacity.
“They were satisfied because we have previously hosted the World Rugby Junior Trophy in 2009, the World Rugby Under-20 Trophy in 2023, and the Africa Women’s Sevens, which we staged on November 15–16,” Odundo noted.
Kenya submitted its hosting bid immediately after World Rugby invited expressions of interest in June 2025.
During the Africa Women’s Sevens on November 14, World Rugby Competitions Director Nigel Cass visited Nairobi and inspected both Nyayo Stadium and the Talanta City grounds.
Other rounds of the Division 2 series will take place in Montevideo (Uruguay) and São Paulo (Brazil). Each stop will feature six men’s and six women’s teams.
After the three rounds, the top four teams will qualify for the world play-offs, where they will meet the bottom four sides from the 2025–2026 HSBC SVNS Series to determine which teams earn places in the 2026–2027 top tier.
Earlier, the Shujaa finished third at the Africa Men’s Cup in June in Mauritius, while the Lionesses claimed second place at the Africa Women’s Cup at RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi on November 15–16.
