Olympic Sevens pools confirmed for Paris 2024

The pools for the Olympic rugby sevens competitions in Paris 2024 have been confirmed following the World Rugby Sevens Repechage this weekend in Monaco.

Team GB Mens failed to qualify for the men’s rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics after losing 14-5 to South Africa in the final.

Rugby sevens will kick off the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 24 July at Stade de France, two days before the Opening Ceremony. Twelve teams will now compete in three pools of four teams in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

The 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams were allocated to three pools of four teams based on their rankings due to performances over the last two years of the HSBC SVNS Series, Challenger Series, and other World Rugby-sanctioned tournaments.

All six World Rugby regions are represented among the 24 teams who secured their spots in Paris via the HSBC SVNS Series and regional qualification competitions.

In the men’s competition hosts France and Antoine Dupont will start in Pool C with two-time Olympic champions Fiji, USA, and debutants Uruguay. They will aim to replicate their title-winning performance in Madrid. SVNS league winners Argentina will face tough competition in Pool B against Australia, Samoa, and Kenya. Pool A sees top seed New Zealand grouped with Ireland, Japan, and South Africa.

In the women’s competition the battle will also be fierce with three very competitive pools. Reigning Olympic champions and SVNS League Winners New Zealand will face Fiji, Canada, and freshly qualified China in Pool A.

Pool B includes Rio 2016 Olympic champions Australia facing Ireland, Great Britain, and debutants South Africa. Hosts France in Pool C will look to improve on their silver medal at Tokyo 2020 with matches against USA, Japan, and Brazil.

All the action will take place at Stade de France, which was the venue for the opening match and final of Rugby World Cup 2023. The men’s competition will take place from 24-27 July, with the women’s tournament following on 28-30 July. The men’s gold medal match on 27 July will see the first team sport gold medal of the Games awarded.

Paris 2024 Sports Executive Director Aurélie Merle added: “On behalf of Paris 2024, I would like to warmly congratulate the two final teams that have qualified for the Olympic Rugby Sevens tournaments. Each tournament will be fiercely competitive, with challenging pools promising a spectacular display.

“Rugby Sevens will have the honour of kicking off the Olympic Games in Paris, with the competition beginning two days before the Opening Ceremony. France is a country passionate about rugby and we will welcome all teams to a refurbished and packed Stade de France of 69,000 seats, where the atmosphere will be electric. With just a few weeks to go, all the conditions are in place for teams to perform at their best on the pitch while having an unforgettable experience.”