New global women’s rugby series adds 100 matches to calendar, Hong Kong in second tier
WXV Global Series will run from 2026 to 2028, with Hong Kong taking on Brazil, Fiji, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain
Women’s rugby got a global boost on Thursday, when officials announced the creation of a new series featuring the world’s best 18 teams.
In a press conference in the UK, officials said the new WXV Global Series would be played between 2026 and 2028, with more than 100 matches also providing a pathway to the 2029 World Cup in Australia.
Nations will be split into two groups, with the top 12 playing each other in a home-and-away format, while those ranked 13 to 18, which includes Hong Kong, will compete in a tournament at a single destination.
Hong Kong are ranked 16th after finishing fifth at the WXV3 competition in Dubai last year and as runners-up in the Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship in Japan in May.
As part of Hong Kong’s preparation for the next two years, they will take on Germany and Belgium in a tri-nations competition at the Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark in Heidelberg in November.
Hong Kong will play the hosts on November 15, the day after the National Games sevens is scheduled to finish, with the match against Belgium a week later. Both matches will be uncapped.