Africa’s Top Women’s Teams Battle for SVNS Series Qualification in Nairobi
Image: Captains of the Africa Women’s Sevens teams: Ivette Sawadogo (Burkina Faso), Touré Awa (Côte d’Ivoire), Rufaro Tagarira (Zimbabwe), Veronica Lungu (Zambia), Sahondra Malala Sarindra (Madagascar), Sheila Chajira (Kenya), Nadine Roos (South Africa), Agnes Nakuya (Uganda), Lamia Mlawah (Tunisia), Paulina Mensah (Ghana), Naika Dewulf (Mauritius), and Hala Koura (Egypt) at Kenya International Conference Center (Left to Right)
Kicking off tomorrow, 12 teams in Nairobi will compete for the Africa Women’s Sevens title and a spot in World Rugby’s HSBC SVNS Series Division Three (Fixtures & Streaming Information Below)
NAIROBI, Kenya – As the 2025 Africa Women’s Sevens kicks off tomorrow, Nairobi becomes the stage for one of the most consequential tournaments in recent years, where teams know there is far more on the line than the honour of being crowned continental champions.
Beyond attempting to dethrone defending champions South Africa this weekend, teams are also vying for a coveted place in the remodelled HSBC SVNS Series — the elite global circuit overseen by World Rugby.
With continental powerhouse South Africa having lost their core status on the SVNS Series, the Springbok Women’s Sevens must now replicate the form that saw them lift last year’s Africa Women’s Sevens title in Ghana if they are to begin their journey back.
Kenya, meanwhile, secured their place in SVNS Division Two for the 2026 season after a gutsy 17–14 victory over South Africa in the SVNS Play-Off final in Los Angeles in May 2025.
That result leaves a highly prized spot open this weekend: the top-performing team in Nairobi — excluding Kenya — will qualify for the single available place in the upcoming SVNS Division Three season.
The equation is simple: Be the best team in Nairobi outside Kenya, and qualify.
This sets the stage for an intense battle among leading contenders, including Uganda, who finished third at the 2024 Africa Women’s Sevens in Accra.
“Yes, we definitely have an opportunity to qualify for Division Three,” Uganda head coach Charles Onen told Rugby Africa Media ahead of the tournament.
“We are prepared. Our players featured in the local Sevens competitions and recently competed at the Safari Sevens in Kenya, which helped us identify key areas to refine.”
Uganda’s squad receives a major boost with the return of stalwart Peace Lekuru of York Valkyrie, along with Samiya Ayikoru, Unity Namulala and Susan Adong — all of whom missed the Safari Sevens, where Uganda finished as runners-up.
But Uganda is not the only team sensing opportunity.
Even Zimbabwe — ninth out of 12 in Accra last year — believe they can shake things up.
“I’m hopeful,” said Zimbabwe head coach Cyprian Mandenge.
“We’ve got a new team with a mix of experience and youth. We’re looking forward to a great tournament and will take it one game at a time.”
Under the newly introduced three-tier SVNS structure, the eight-team Division Three competition will be staged as a standalone Challenger event, while the higher divisions compete across multiple global venues.
Division Two, where Kenya will feature, comprises six teams across three events.
Division One — the premier category — brings together eight teams battling it out over six high-impact tournaments.
Announcing the reforms, World Rugby Sevens General Manager Sam Pinder said:
“World Rugby is firmly committed to the success of rugby sevens on the road to the LA 2028 Olympic Games and is investing 10 million pounds annually into the SVNS, a large proportion into team participation fees. This evolved model provides greater certainty for unions with more events, increased competitiveness, greater pathway opportunities than ever before and, crucially, a financially sustainable ecosystem with a clear pathway for the future of international rugby sevens.”
With so much at stake, motivation will be sky-high for all 12 teams competing at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi on 15–16 November.
Organised by Rugby Africa (www.rugbyafrique.com), the continental governing body for rugby in Africa, in partnership with Kenya Rugby Union (https://www.kru.co.ke) from November 15 to November 16. All matches will be available for streaming on Rugby Pass TV and Rugby Africa Facebook.
To Buy Tickets: https://tikohub.com/events/356
Participating Teams:
Pool A: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mauritius
Pool B: Kenya, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire
Pool C: Uganda, Zambia, Burkina Faso
Pool D: Madagascar, Tunisia, Egypt
Streaming
Rugby Africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RugbyAfrique
RugbyPass TV: https://rugbypass.tv
Match Day 1: Saturday 15 November 2025 (Local Time) (EAT)
- 09:00 – Tunisia vs Egypt
- 09:22 – Zambia vs Burkina Faso
- 09:44 – Ghana vs Côte d’Ivoire
- 10:06 – Zimbabwe vs Mauritius
- 12:00 – Madagascar vs Egypt
- 12:22 – Uganda vs Burkina Faso
- 12:44 – Kenya vs Côte d’Ivoire
- 13:06 – South Africa vs Mauritius
- 15:00 – Madagascar vs Tunisia
- 15:22 – Uganda vs Zambia
- 15:44 – South Africa vs Zimbabwe
- 16:06 – Kenya vs Ghana
Match Day 2: Sunday 16 November 2025 (Local Time) (EAT) (TBD)
- 09:00 – Cup QF1
- 09:22 – Cup QF2
- 09:44 – Cup QF3
- 10:06 – Cup QF4
- 10:28 – 9th Place SF1
- 10:50 – 9th Place SF2
- 11:30 – 5th Place SF1
- 11:52 – 5th Place SF2
- 12:14 – Cup SF1
- 12:36 – Cup SF2
- 12:58 – 11th Place Final
- 13:20 – 9th Place Final
- 15:00 – 7th Place Final
- 15:25 – 5th Place Final
- 15:54 – Bronze
- 16:30 – Gold
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Written By Enock Muchinjo
