After six regular HSBC SVNS Series rounds, three SVNS 2 tournaments, a SVNS 3 challenge, and World Championship events in Hong Kong and Valladolid, the 2025/26 international sevens season has reached its grand finale in Bordeaux – with everything still to play for at both ends of the men’s and women’s competitions.
Here are the possible permutations for title, survival and relegation for the 24 teams at Stade Atlantique.
Men’s tournament
With 38 points out of a possible 40 from the first two HSBC SVNS World Championship tournaments, reigning champions South Africa are the front-runners for the men’s title, and have a four-point lead over nearest rivals Argentina, while third-placed Australia are a further four points back.
If, of those three sides, only the Blitzboks make the semi-finals this weekend in Bordeaux, they will be able to start their World Champion celebrations early.
For Argentina to win the title outright, they would need to win in Bordeaux, while South Africa could finish no higher than fourth.
If the South American side wins the final at Stade Atlantique and the Blitzboks claim third, the title will be decided on points difference.
Australia, meanwhile, would need to finish nine points higher than South Africa, and five points higher than Argentina to win the World Championship.
HSBC SVNS 1 Qualification
South Africa, Argentina, and Australia arrive in Bordeaux having already qualified for next season’s main HSBC SVNS Series, leaving five slots open.
Three of those will be taken by Spain, New Zealand and Fiji, who are tied on 26 standings points and need just one more – the lowest any side can pick up in the HSBC SVNS World Championship Series – to be certain of their place in the top tier of sevens rugby next season.
France and Kenya, level on 14 points, arrive in Bordeaux with an eight-point advantage over 10th-placed Uruguay, a nine-point lead over Germany and USA, and are 10-points clear of bottom side Great Britain.
Kenya and Great Britain have been drawn in Pool A, so if Kenya beat Great Britain on Saturday, in the two sides’ third and final pool match, and qualify for the last eight, Great Britain will be relegated to HSBC SVNS 2 next season.
Of the bottom four sides in the standings, Pool B rivals USA and Uruguay have the best chance of making the quarter-finals, while France – in Pool C – will want to qualify out of a pool that features New Zealand and title-chasing Argentina. That will mean getting off to a fast start in the opener against the All Blacks Sevens and finishing day one with a win over Los Pumas.
Women’s tournament
After their heroics in Valladolid, the maths for leaders Australia is simple. Win, and they will be world champions.
But great rivals New Zealand, who dominated the regular HSBC SVNS Series season are just two points behind in the standings. And the maths is only slightly more complicated for them.
If they beat any side other than Australia in the final, they will be world champions. If, however, the two sides meet in Sunday afternoon’s showpiece match and New Zealand win, the title will be decided on points difference.
Heading into Bordeaux, the Black Ferns Sevens hold the upper hand in that metric – but there’s time for the numbers to change.
Third-placed USA could, mathematically, overtake the top two – but they would have to finish the final event of the season 10 points, or an unlikely five places, ahead of Australia to have a chance.
HSBC SVNS 1 Qualification
New Zealand, Australia, USA, France, and Canada have already qualified for the main HSBC SVNS Series next season.
Japan and Fiji should know by Saturday evening whether they have qualified – their first goal in Bordeaux is to reach the quarter-finals.
Further down the standings, Spain have a five-point lead over Brazil and are seven points ahead of South Africa. Argentina and Great Britain are a point below South Africa.
Brazil will need to beat Fiji and Japan in their first two Pool B outings on Friday to ensure a quarter-final berth.
If Spain beat Great Britain in the first match of the women’s competition on Saturday, they will be front runners for a quarter-final spot and assured of an HSBC SVNS Series place next season.
If, however, Great Britain beat Spain and qualify for the quarter finals, they would still need to finish with nine more points than Spain and four more than Brazil. That means a fifth place play-off is Great Britain’s minimum goal in Bordeaux.
South Africa and Argentina have both been drawn in Pool A, along with New Zealand and France, and have a chance of quarter-final qualification as one of the best third-place sides.