Hong Kong to Host 2026 WXV Global Series Challenger Event
Hong Kong will host the WXV Global Series Challenger event in September 2026. The single-location tournament runs from 13 to 26 September. All nine matches take place at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground.
Format and schedule
The competition features nine matches across three triple-header matchdays. Each matchday is set over a weekend at Kai Tak Sports Park facilities. This structure creates compact, high-intensity match weekends for fans.
Participating teams
The field brings together teams ranked in the 13th-to-17th band of World Rugby. Brazil also features after competing at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. Hong Kong China will host Brazil, Fiji, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
- Hong Kong China (seeded 16th in World Rugby rankings)
- Brazil
- Fiji
- Netherlands
- Samoa
- Spain
Pathway to future World Cups
The WXV Global Series is part of a new international calendar for 2026–2028. Results from the Challenger will influence qualification routes for the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Australia. The seedings set after WXV 2024 remain fixed through the 2026–28 cycle.
Local context and government support
The announcement coincided with the final day of the 50th Anniversary Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. The 2025 Sevens reportedly delivered about $97 million USD to the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong Chief Executive John KC Lee committed to ongoing support for elite sport in the 2025 Policy Address.
Venue and recent event milestones
The Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground will stage all fixtures. The city has recently hosted the Sevens move to Kai Tak Stadium in March 2025. Hong Kong also delivered rugby at the 15th National Games in November 2025.
Hong Kong China team trajectory
Hong Kong China earned a place on the WXV Global Series as the 16th-ranked team. They previously appeared at WXV 3 in 2024 and at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2017. The side finished runner-up in the Asia Rugby Championship 2025 in Japan.
In November 2025, Hong Kong won the 3 Lander Cup invitational tournament in Germany. The team narrowly missed qualification for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.
Development and legacy ambitions
Hong Kong China Rugby’s CEO, James Farndon, welcomed the opportunity to stage the event. He highlighted the potential to grow fan engagement and inspire new players. Farndon also noted the economic benefits of major rugby events for the city.
Royce Chan, a Hong Kong China Rugby Hall of Famer and former head coach, emphasized the value of home fixtures for player motivation. Chan pointed to domestic league improvements and coaching investments as key development factors. New programmes, including the Dragons initiative, aim to support emerging players and female coaches.
Filmogaz.com will continue to cover preparations and match build-up ahead of the September 2026 WXV Global Series Challenger event.
