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New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: India’s senior men’s and women’s rugby sevens teams will begin their campaign in the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series 2026 in Suzhou, China, as both sides prepare to test themselves against Asia’s top rugby nations ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
The opening round of the two-leg tournament will be held on August 29 and 30, with the concluding round scheduled in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 17 and 18. The series features 24 national teams from across Asia and will provide valuable high-level competition and exposure to the Indian teams.
The Senior Men’s team will make its debut in the Series after earning promotion from the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy in 2025. India have been placed in Pool A alongside Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Head coach Paul Albaladejo said the team is looking forward to the challenge of competing at the highest level in Asia. He described the tournament as a significant step up from the team’s earlier competition but said the players were ready to embrace the challenge and compete strongly.
The Senior Women’s team, meanwhile, will enter its second consecutive season in the Series. After finishing 10th in their debut campaign in 2025, India improved to sixth overall and will now look to build on that progress under head coach Paul Delport.
The women’s team has been drawn in Pool D with defending champions Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Iran. The tournament will provide another opportunity for the Indian players to gain experience against some of the strongest Sevens programmes in the continent.
Delport said the team’s objective would be to improve on last year’s ranking while continuing to build on the progress made during their debut season.
Rugby India President Rahul Bose said the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series remains an important platform for both Indian teams to establish themselves among the leading nations in Asia. He noted that the women’s team had built a strong foundation through last year’s campaign, while the men’s promotion had opened a new chapter for Indian rugby.
The Indian squads will leave for Suzhou on August 26 and return on August 31. The second and final round in Colombo will decide the overall champions of the 2026 Series.
Fans can watch the matches live through Asia Rugby’s YouTube channel and RugbyPass TV.
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