2025 Grand Final & Play-off – Los Angeles May 3-4: Schedule, Results, How to Watch

The final stop of the HSBC SVNS 2025 season is here — and all eyes are on Los Angeles. It’s not just the Grand Final at stake: the women’s Play-Off will determine who stays, who goes, and who gets another shot next season.

Grand Final Pools

The eight top-ranked women’s teams from the SVNS series are set: New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and Great Britain make up Pool A, while Australia, France, USA, and Fiji are drawn into Pool B.

New Zealand heads into LA with serious momentum after winning the final regular season stop in Singapore and securing the overall HSBC SVNS League title. Australia, who led much of the regular season, will look to rebound after a tough finish in Singapore. France continues their late-season surge, while the USA — fueled by home support — will be aiming to peak at just the right time.

Play-Off Pools

In the Play-Off, Brazil, Spain, Kenya, and Colombia are in Pool A, while China, Ireland, South Africa, and Argentina fill out Pool B.

Brazil and China lead the Play-Off pools after finishing 9th and 10th respectively in the HSBC SVNS standings. Ireland and Spain, ranked 11th and 12th, are looking to fend off a hungry group of Challenger Series qualifiers: Kenya, South Africa, Argentina, and Colombia.

Kenya heads to LA fresh off winning the overall Challenger Series title, showing consistency and power across Cape Town and Krakow. South Africa, who lifted the Krakow trophy with a dominant weekend, is peaking at the right time. Argentina, who battled their way through the Challenger Series with consistent semifinal appearances, notched key wins over Czechia, Poland, and Kenya to punch their ticket to LA. Colombia, the final team to qualify, showed resilience all season — edging out Czechia, Poland, and Belgium in a tightly contested race to secure their spot in Los Angeles.

What’s at Stake

The matches in Los Angeles still mean everything — for pride, momentum, and program development. However, a quiet shift behind the scenes means that promotion and relegation may not be as straightforward as before.

While traditionally, Play-Off winners would earn their place on the 2026 HSBC SVNS circuit, recent updates suggest that all teams — winners and losers — could instead be funneled into regional qualifiers for a revamped Challenger Series. Likewise, SVNS teams who finish in the bottom four this weekend could still face being dropped after LA.

That uncertainty doesn’t take away from what’s on the field. Every team in the Play-Off is treating Los Angeles like a final. It’s a chance to prove they belong — to themselves, to fans, and to the wider rugby world.