Uganda has been given hosting rights for the SVNS 3 Africa Qualifiers after the 2026 Africa 7s took on a new format.
The Africa 7s were meant to be a 12-team tournament that was to be held in Mauritius last June, but after the Ebola Virus outbreak, the tournament was postponed.
On Thursday, July 9, Rugby Africa announced the return of the Africa 7s, but this time in a new format. The Mauritius 7s shall still proceed with 8 teams, as 7 have already been confirmed, while 1 team is yet to be announced. This cluster shall have teams outside the top 8, plus South Africa and Kenya, who are seeded 1 and 2, respectively and are already in the SVNS competitions.
The second cluster shall play in Uganda on the weekend of September 26 and 27. This consists of six nations that shall be battling for the lone spot to the SVNS 3, and shall ultimately be ranked from 3rd to 8th at the end of the tournament.
Rugby Africa argues that this new format is meant to make 7s rugby more competitive in Africa.
“The new format aims to strengthen the competitiveness of men’s sevens rugby in Africa, provide more opportunities for national teams to compete at a high level, and reinforce the pathway connecting African rugby to the international sevens structure,” a Rugby Africa statement reads.
Uganda shall host Madagascar, which qualified for this year’s SVNS 3, alongside Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tunisia and Ghana at a venue that is yet to be announced.