Hong Kong has been confirmed as the host city for the WXV Global Series Challenger 2026, which will run from 13 to 26 September 2026. All nine matches will be staged at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, arranged across three triple-header matchdays.
The announcement was made on the final day of the 50th Anniversary Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, giving local fans another major international rugby event to look forward to later this year.
The Challenger event is a single-destination World Rugby tournament featuring women's 15-a-side national teams ranked 13th to 17th in the world, along with Brazil, who qualified via participation in the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025. The competition sits within the newly introduced WXV Global Series (2026–2028), which aims to reshape the women's international calendar and help define the qualification route to the Women's Rugby World Cup 2029 in Australia.
Hong Kong China secured its place in the cycle as the 16th-ranked side when seedings were set after WXV 2024, and the line-up will remain fixed through 2026–28. The hosts will welcome Brazil, Fiji, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain for a festival of rugby spread over three weekends. Several of those visiting teams—Brazil, Fiji, Samoa and Spain—also appeared at the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, underlining the standard of competition expected in Hong Kong.
The release also noted the Hong Kong government's intention to continue backing elite sport and positioning the city as a venue for major international events. Hong Kong China Rugby CEO James Farndon said the Challenger tournament builds on a series of recent milestones, including the Hong Kong Sevens' move to Kai Tak Stadium in March 2025, the staging of Rugby Sevens at the 15th National Games in November 2025, and a landmark 50th anniversary edition of the Sevens. He added that such events can both grow audiences and participation, while also generating strong economic benefits, citing an estimated US$97 million impact from the 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.
Farndon also thanked World Rugby, the Hong Kong government, and Kai Tak Sports Park for their support in bringing major tournaments to the city.
In recent seasons, Hong Kong China competed at WXV 3 in 2024, narrowly missing qualification for the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025. The team later finished second at the Asia Rugby Championship 2025 in Japan before winning the 3 Lander Cup invitational tournament in Germany in November 2025. Farndon said hosting elite women's representative matches at home can become a key rallying point for the women's and girls' game, alongside continued strategic focus on both men's and women's rugby, with the men's XVs having qualified for the Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.
Hong Kong China Rugby Hall of Famer Royce Chan, former head coach of the Women's XVs (2022–2024) and now involved in women's development programmes, said playing in front of a home crowd can be a powerful experience—particularly for players balancing elite sport with full-time work. He also highlighted the importance of a strong domestic season, the investment in Women's Club Coaching Officers, and the growing level of competition in the Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Premiership. Chan added that the upcoming regional competition, including the Asia Rugby Women's Championship in Kazakhstan, will help prepare the squad for WXV.
He also pointed to the Hong Kong China Dragons Women's Program—a pathway for 18 to 28-year-old Hong Kong passport holders launched with a showcase match at Kai Tak Main Stadium in October 2025—as part of the wider effort to create clearer routes from community rugby to high-performance levels for both players and coaches.
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