Sri Lanka’s Sevens’ promise, XVs’ challenge and continental test ahead

By Shamseer Jaleel

Asia Rugby has laid out an ambitious and far-reaching roadmap for the 2026 season with the release of its Competitions Calendar, promising a packed year of elite Fifteens and Sevens rugby across the region.

Sri Lanka is set to play a central role in this continental narrative. The island nation will host Hong Kong China in the Asia Rugby Top 4 Men’s XV Championship, stage the second leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, and conclude the year by hosting the Asia Rugby Under-20 XV tournament, tipped to be held in Kandy in December.

At the heart of the Fifteens program is the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship, which brings together four leading Asian nations Hong Kong China, Sri Lanka, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates in a demanding round-robin format. Matches will be staged across Dubai, Colombo or Kandy, Causeway-bay in Hong Kong and Incheon, ensuring true home-and-away exposure.

For Sri Lanka, the XV-a-side challenge remains steep. After finishing bottom in 2025, the XV a side outfit showed flashes of promise but struggled with consistency, depth and execution across the full 80 minutes. Structural rebuilding, player conditioning and sustained high-level exposure will be essential if Sri Lanka are to close the gap on Asia’s top but at present it looks a distance too far to reach in the next 3 years. 

There will be no promotion-relegation clash in 2026, despite Malaysia winning Division One, as Malaysia have opted to remain in Division 1 tier for another season. This decision gives Sri Lanka valuable breathing space to regroup without the immediate threat of demotion, but also highlights the need for long-term planning rather than short-term survival.

Sri Lanka’s fixtures see them hosting Hong Kong China on 24 May before travelling to Dubai and Incheon in June. While home advantage offers hope, especially in familiar conditions, the XV format demands depth, tactical maturity and set-piece dominance areas that will take time to fully rebuild. Hong Kong China enter as the benchmark side, having topped the 2025 standings ahead of UAE and South Korea, earning a pathway into the Rugby World Cup 2027 qualification process. UAE, meanwhile, continue to progress despite narrowly missing out through the African repechage route. Hong Kong China became the second Asian nation to enter Rugby World Cup qualification after Japan.

While the longer format remains a work in progress, Sri Lanka’s real promise lies in the shorter version of the game. The Asia Rugby Sevens Series, with legs in China (August) and Sri Lanka (October), presents a more realistic platform for success. Historically, Sri Lanka’s athleticism, speed and natural flair have translated more effectively into Sevens rugby. Sri Lanka in earlier tournaments have come as number 3 showing lot of promise.

Playing at home in October could be pivotal. Familiar conditions, crowd support and reduced squad demands give Sri Lanka a genuine opportunity to challenge Asia’s established Sevens powers and build ranking momentum.

Another important stoppage will be the Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya, Japan and rugby will be part of the shorter version of the game during 1 to 3 October.

Meanwhile in the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship XV a side will see Japan, Hong Kong China and Kazakhstan lock horns in a league event.

Age-grade Sevens further strengthens the pathway. China will host the Under-18 Sevens in September, followed by the Under-20 Sevens in India during the month of November. These tournaments are critical in identifying talent early and preparing players for the physical and tactical demands of senior rugby.

The calendar’s most significant developmental milestone comes in December with the Asia Rugby Under-20 XV tournament in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Featuring Hong Kong China, South Korea, Taipei and the hosts, Sri Lanka, this competition serves as the qualification pathway towards the World Rugby Junior Tournament. Last year’s event which was to be hosted by Taipei was cancelled due to hosts not being ready to stage the event.

Sri Lanka’s Under-20 program carries symbolic weight, having last featured at the Junior Rugby World Cup in 2001. Hosting this event offers a rare chance to reset the junior XV pathway and rebuild confidence at age-grade level. Further Sri Lanka Schools rugby structure is one of the strongest competitions in Asia.

Taken together, Asia Rugby’s 2026 calendar presents a balanced ecosystem elite XV competition, expanded Sevens opportunities, structured youth events and meaningful qualification pathways. For Sri Lanka, success is more likely in Sevens in the short term, while sustained planning, conditioning and exposure will be required to restore competitiveness in the XV format.