Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) successfully bid to host one of the three legs of the newly introduced 2026 World Rugby Sevens Series Division II for men and women.
A total of 12 teams, six men and six women, will compete on the Valentine's Day weekend of February 14-15 at the Nyayo National Stadium, in the leg, dubbed “Nairobi Sevens”.
The series will thereafter head to South America for back-to-back runs, in Montevideo, Uruguay, on March 21-22 and Sao Paulo, Brazil, on March 28-29.
The Nairobi Sevens will be the second World Rugby Sevens event to be staged in Africa after the South Africa Sevens, which has rotated in cities across the Rainbow Nation. Cape Town has been the host since 2015.
KRU chairperson Harriet Okatch said on Monday that hosting the Nairobi Sevens will cost about Sh200 million. KRU, who are the host union and chief organisers of the event, have so far managed to raise Sh60 million in cash and kind.
“If we can get Sh125 million in cash, then we shall be home and dry. That is why we want more partners on board,” said Okach.
Kenya’s Patrick Odongo plays against Spain in Singapore Sevens, the fifth leg of the 2024/2025 World Rugby Sevens series, on April 6 at the National Stadium in Singapore.
Photo credit: REUTERS
She, however, declared that Nairobi was ready to host the international sevens tournament.
Okach was speaking when she unveiled their partners for the championships at the Nyayo National Stadium.
World Rugby will pay for the air tickets of the 10 visiting teams in addition to supporting the championships to the tune of 150,000 pounds (about Sh25.95million).
Local organisers will take care of local costs for the teams, including accommodation, meals, local transport, security and training venues.
All the participating teams must be accommodated in five-star hotels as per World Rugby regulations.
Okach said they were up to the task, having successfully staged the World Rugby Under-20 Trophy in 2009 and 2023 at the RFUEA ground and Nyayo National Stadium, respectively.
KRU unveiled M-Pesa, betting firm SportPesa, East Africa Breweries Limited, Crown Paints, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports as partners.
Safaricom, through their M-Pesa brand, will for the second consecutive year put in Sh50 million for Kenya Sevens and Kenya Lionesses salaries and allowances, besides Sh10 million in kind for the World Series.
EABL, under their leading brand Tusker, and SportPesa, will this week unveil their respective sponsorships, while Capital FM unveiled their media support and visibility support worth Sh4 million.
The men’s World Rugby Sevens Series Division II has Kenya, United States of America, Uruguay, Germany, Canada and Belgium, while the women’s Division II has Kenya, Brazil, China, Spain, South Africa, and Argentina.
A rugby sevens match between New Zealand and Kenya (in red) during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo Stadium on July 29, 2021.
Photo credit: Joan Pereruan | Nation Media Group
The top four teams after the three-leg men's and women’s series will join the eight teams from the World Rugby Sevens Division I in the World Championship Series that will feature three events.
They are Hong Kong (April 17-19), Valladolid-Spain (May 29-31) and Bordeaux-France (June 5-7).
The winners will be crowned world champions, while the four teams that will finish at the bottom will be relegated to Division II, with the remaining sides proceeding to the 2026/2027 World Rugby Division I Series.
