The men’s national rugby 7s side, Shujaa, will compete in the newly launched HSBC Division 2 for the 2026 season following the latest update to World Rugby’s HSBC Sevens series structure.
The decision comes at the close of a challenging 2024–2025 HSBC Sevens Series campaign for the team.
Shujaa’s season kicked off in Dubai, where they placed 10th after falling to Uruguay in the 9th place playoff. The team showed improvement in the second leg in Cape Town, finishing in 7th position. However, consistency remained elusive, with a 10th place finish in Perth during the third leg.
The fourth leg in Canada proved to be the toughest outing for Shujaa, as they finished last — marking the lowest point of their season.
In Hong Kong, the team returned to 10th place after falling to South Africa in the 9th place playoff.
One of the season’s most promising moments came in Singapore during the sixth leg, where Shujaa reached the Cup final, finishing second after a 21-12 loss to Fiji.
The podium finish was a beacon of hope as the team fought to retain their place in the main HSBC Series.
Despite their efforts, Shujaa sat in 9th place in the overall standings heading into the final leg in Los Angeles. With the release of the new 2026 fixtures by World Rugby — Shujaa’s path to remaining in the core series narrowed significantly.
In Los Angeles, the team delivered a mixed bag of results in the pool stage, managing one win and two losses. However, they bounced back in the playoff final with a 24-5 win over Canada, securing a place in the 2026 HSBC Division 2.
“It has been a tough season for us,” said Head Coach Kevin Wambua.
“Our priority throughout the season was to remain in the Series. But after the changes by World Rugby, our focus this weekend was to ensure that we secure a place in the 2026 HSBC Division 2.
We’ve achieved that, and we will use it as a launchpad to get back to the main Series.”
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