2025 Challenger Series – Cape Town Mar 7-8: Schedule, Results, How to Watch

The second round of the HSBC Sevens Challenger is set for March 7-8 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, which also hosted the first round. Kenya claimed the opening title, with their women edging South Africa 19-15 in the semi-finals before defeating Argentina in the final. South Africa secured third place, while Colombia finished fourth, followed by Thailand (5th), Poland (6th), Czechia (7th), and Uganda (8th).

With the first leg complete, Kenya leads the standings with 20 points, followed by Argentina (18), South Africa (16), Colombia (14), Thailand (12), Poland (10), Czechia (8), and Uganda (6).

This tournament features 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams, each earning their spot through regional qualification, representing all six World Rugby regions.

To learn more about how the women’s teams qualified go here.

Competition Format and Path to Promotion

Following the two rounds in Cape Town, the top eight men’s and women’s teams based on cumulative points will move on to Krakow, Poland, where the final Challenger tournament will take place on April 11-12 at Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium.

At the conclusion of the three-round series, the top four men’s and women’s teams will advance to the HSBC SVNS Playoff tournament in Los Angeles on May 3-4. There, they will battle against the bottom four teams from the HSBC SVNS series in a high-stakes showdown to secure their place in next season’s elite circuit.