The Stone City 7s Pools have been drawn ahead of the commencement of the National 7s in Jinja.
In the new restructured format, the men’s teams were reduced to 12 teams in 3 pools of 4 teams each, while the women’s teams were increased to 8 teams in 2 groups of 4 teams.
These teams will battle it out in 6 stops across the country, starting in Jinja, then culminating in a grand finale, the Kakaba Coronation 7s, at Muteesa II Stadium, Wakulukuku.
With the new pools of only core sides comes intense competition. Every team is a viable contender, but the competition is stiffer in some pools than in others at the Stone City 7s.
In the Men’s competition, Pool B is looking like the fiercest, with the Heathens, who finished second last year, coming against a rejuvenated KOBs and Mongers side.
In the women’s competition, Pool A is the one to look out for, as the defending champions, the Thunderbirds, have to contend with the Walukuba Titans who were last year’s surprise package, while the Nile Rapids seem to have got their act together administratively.
New Format Explained
In this new 12-team format, the top 2 sides in each pool shall automatically qualify for the quarterfinal stage.
These two shall be joined by the 2 best-placed 3rd teams across the groups using a Match Point System. Here, every result and point within the group at the group phase matters as it contributes to the ranking ahead of the knockout phase of every tournament.
In the event of teams tying on points after the group phase, the 2026 Uganda 7s Manual provides for various ways in which this can be settled to find the higher-ranked team. First, the team with the better overall points difference shall proceed to the next phase. In case of another tie, the try difference shall be considered next. If the tie persists, overall points scored in the pool stage, then overall tries scored in the pool stage, and thereafter a coin toss if all the aforementioned measures fail.
Stone City 7s Pools
Men
- Pool A: Walukuba Barbarians, Rhinos, Hippos, Victoria Sharks
- Pool B: Heathens, KOBs, Mongers, Mbale Elephants
- Pool C: Buffaloes, Black Pirates, Eagles, Rams
Women
- Pool A: Thunderbirds, Walukuba Titans, Nile Rapids, Mbale Eagles
- Pool B: Avengers, Black Pearls, She Wolves, Ewes