Stars of Sevens set to return as HSBC SVNS 2025 events confirmed
SPOTLIGHT: Following Sevens' celebrated 'coming of age' on the Olympic stage in Paris, World Rugby has confirmed the first five destinations and dates of the highly anticipated HSBC SVNS 2025, with further events to be added in the coming weeks.
The announcement means fans around the world can already mark their calendars and prepare to see the superstars from the best 12 men’s and women’s teams in the world showcasing their incredible skill, speed and strength in some of the most iconic destinations around the globe.
The HSBC SVNS 2025 Series will kick-off in style at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai, which hosts the first round on 30 November - 1 December, 2024. As in previous editions, the 24 teams then move on to the DHL Stadium in Cape Town the following weekend for the second round on 7-8 December 2024.
Following Perth’s highly successful debut as SVNS hosts in 2024, which saw a sell-out crowd for finals day, the event with the festival vibe will return to Australia’s west coast for the third round of HSBC SVNS 2025 on 24-26 January at HBF Park.
Vancouver then welcomes the SVNS for the fourth round on 21-23 February as the famously atmospheric BC Place will once again be the setting. Meanwhile, the fan favourite Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is confirmed to take place on 28-30 March.
Details on the remaining HSBC SVNS 2025 events, including the Grand Final, will be confirmed in due course.
The first five destinations announced on Thursday all featured in the 2024 schedule, providing players, teams and fans with consistency and building on the exciting success of the inaugural year of the reimagined SVNS – the global celebration of Sevens combined with music, food and entertainment in a unique festival atmosphere.
In what promises to be another record breaking year for women’s rugby, HSBC SVNS will again fully embrace gender parity with all rounds featuring combined men’s and women’s events, ensuring that women players have equal opportunities to showcase their talents on the biggest stages around the world. Men’s and women’s teams will also receive equal participation fees.
There will be three new teams competing in 2025 as Kenya and Uruguay men, and China women secured promotion from the HSBC Sevens Challenger with their victories at the 2024 promotion and relegation play-off in Madrid.
The women’s participating teams are: New Zealand, Australia, France, USA, Canada, Fiji, Ireland, Great Britain, Japan, Brazil, Spain and China.
The men’s teams roster includes: Argentina, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, France, Fiji, South Africa, Great Britain, USA, Spain, Uruguay and Kenya.
World Rugby Sevens General Manager Sam Pinder said: "Following the spectacular, record-breaking success of Sevens at the Paris Olympics we are delighted to announce five rounds of the highly anticipated HSBC SVNS 2025 today [Thursday].
"We are announcing the first destinations now to allow fans to mark their calendars and get prepared to see the stars of the Olympics shine again in some of the world’s most iconic stadiums and destinations, with the dates for the remaining exciting destinations to be confirmed soon.
"The inaugural year of HSBC SVNS, with the introduction of a Grand Final, was undoubtedly the most high quality and hotly contested Series in history with more excitement, jeopardy and entertainment than ever before and fans can expect more thrills in HSBC SVNS 2025.
“Our deep thanks and gratitude to our title partner HSBC for their continued unwavering support and to our host partners as we prepare for sevens to kick on from the incredible success of the Paris Olympics and attract and inspire more new fans and participants around the globe."
Sevens was a record breaking triumph at Paris 2024 with more than 530,000 fans filling Stade de France and tens of millions watching around the globe, including 11.6 million in France alone for the men’s final, which the host nation beat Fiji to win, while South Africa secured bronze.
New Zealand retained the women’s Olympic title with victory over Canada, while the USA claimed an impressive bronze in a competition that recorded the highest attendance ever for a women’s rugby event with 66,000 fans enjoying the spectacular show across each session.
Fans around the globe can watch the HSBC SVNS action live on www.rugbypass.tv or via their domestic broadcaster.
HSBC SVNS Perth tickets are now on pre-sale and will go on general sale on 27 August. For further information visit www.svns.com