The SVNS World Series is set to enter a new era as a new-look competition gets underway in Dubai.
The series has undergone significant changes, including team and structural shifts to go with a three-leg World Championship.
Watch every second of the SVNS World Series live and on demand via Stan Sport.
Rugby.com.au breaks down all you need to know.
The top tier of the SVNS World Series has been reduced from 12 to eight teams, with teams competing in two pools of four.
This mirrors the format of the 2024-25 finale in Los Angeles, with the top two sides from each pool advancing to the semi-finals.
There are six events in the regular season, with the Series moving away from three-day events to two, before the three-leg World Championship (more on this below).
Australia is one of several nations that have teams in both the men's and women's competitions.
The full teams are:
Women: Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, USA
Men: Argentina, Australia, Fiji, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain
Below this sit SVNS 2 and SVNS 3, which provide a pathway for teams to qualify for the World Championships.
SVNS 3 is a single-leg event held in Dubai in January, where the top two teams will advance into SVNS 2.
From here, a three-leg series will be hosted across Kenya, Uruguay, and Brazil, with the top four teams qualifying for the SVNS World Championship.
HSBC SVNS 2 Teams
Women: China, Kenya, Spain, Brazil and top two from SVNS 3
Men: Kenya, USA, Germany, Uruguay and top two from SVNS 3
HSBC SVNS 3 Teams
Women: Argentina, Colombia, Czechia, Mexico, Poland, Samoa, South Africa, Thailand
Men: Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong China, Italy, Madagascar, Samoa, Tonga
For the first time, a three-destination SVNS World Championship will feature the top 24 teams, 12 women’s and 12 men’s, competing across a three-leg event.
It starts in arguably the home of Sevens and the World Series, Hong Kong, in April, before a double-header in Europe.
This sees the tour visit first-time venues, Valladolid (Spain) and Bordeaux (France), with the team with the most points across these three events crowned champions.
South Africa (Men) and New Zealand (Women) go in as the defending champions after claiming the event in Los Angeles earlier in the year.
As mentioned, the World Championship will see the SVNS World Series head to new venues in Spain and France.
However, there are further changes to the calendar, with the USA leg of the event heading to New York.
The Series shifts away from the West Coast, where it has usually been held in Los Angeles, and will be held at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey.
- Dubai (29-30 November, 2025)
- Cape Town (6-7 December, 2025)
- Singapore (31 January-1 February, 2026)
- Perth (7-8 February, 2026)
- Vancouver (7-8 March, 2026)
- New York (14-15 March, 2026)
- Hong Kong (17-19 April, 2026)
- Valladolid (29-31 May, 2026)
- Bordeaux (5-7 June, 2026)
