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Heartbreak for Kenya as World Rugby Sevens promotion slips away
Kenya rugby fans cheer their team during the match against Fiji in the at the HSBC Sevens World Championships in Bordeaux, France on June 5, 2026.
What you need to know:
- Kenya beat Uruguay 26-7 to finish 11th overall in the last leg of the World Rugby Sevens Championships.
- Kenya only needed to reach the quarter-final to seal their place in 2026/2027 World Rugby Division One.
There was heartbreak in Bordeaux, France, for Kenya after they narrowly failed to qualify for the 2026/2027 World Rugby Sevens Division One.
Kenya beat Uruguay 26-7 to finish 11th overall in the last leg of the World Rugby Sevens Championships, but by then their fate was no longer in their own hands.
Kenya needed Fiji to beat United States of America in the play-off for fifth place in order to gain promotion.
But it was USA that pulled off a remarkable win to steal the eighth and final spot for next year’s SVNS Division One.
Kenya, who had reached the quarter-finals in the opening legs in Hong Kong and Spain, headed into the final leg in eighth place with 14 points while the USA were placed 11th with five points.
Kenya only needed to reach the quarter-final in Bordeaux to seal their place in 2026/2027 World Rugby Division One, while the USA needed to go deep in the competition and hope the Africans stumbled.
After Kenya's good show in the first two legs with USA wobbling, Shujaa’s path to Division One seemed assured.
However, they say sevens rugby is as unpredictable as the bounce of the rugby ball.
While Kenya’s fortunes collapsed, losing all their opening pool matches 31-12 to Fiji, 26-5 to South Africa and 14-5 to Great Britain, the USA flourished.
The Americans stunned Spain 24-19, Australia 19-17 and Uruguay 43-7 for their first Cup quarterfinal appearance in the championship.
Kenya still had a chance after the USA lost to Spain 17-5 in the Cup quarters but it was not to be. Shujaa, who just needed to beat Germany in the ninth place semi-final to qualify, fell 7-5.
It now went to the last two matches where Kenya were the first to go through, beating Uruguay. They then had to wait for three hours to know their fate.
Kenya only needed two points for a total of 16 points to retain their eighth place and qualify while USA needed the maximum 12 points by beating Fiji to go eighth and qualify.
Fiji started well to lead the Americans 14-0 at the break and keep the Kenyans on the edge but the Americans turned things around in the last minutes of play with Lucas Lacamp landing the try that took them back to the top tier championship. USA ended up with 17 points and Kenya 16 points.
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