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World Rugby have today announced significant changes to the World Sevens Series that will come into effect for the 2023-2024 season. The most notable sees the men’s and women’s competitions becoming fully aligned in both participating teams and tournaments played. They are also set to receive equal participation fees, which the governing body says will increase by 70% on their part.
‘Seven’ is itself the predominant theme. Seven tournaments to be played in seven different locations over the course of seven months. Unusually the final event of the season will feature a ‘Grand Finale’ that will determine the overall winner, instead of points, while also determining promotion and relegation in a tournament format.
For the women there is effectively no change with the same number of core teams and tournaments as the 2022-2023 season. The men, however, will see a drop from 16 to 12 core teams and four of this year’s 11 stops cut. World Rugby has also hinted at a change to the brand itself.
Those teams who do not reach core status will compete in regional tournaments, with the top four teams then entering the Finale event against the bottom four from the circuit. It opens the door for multiple teams to qualify as opposed to just one newcomer each season.
The media release also says that World Rugby intends to create a ‘festival-style’ atmosphere at events in a push to attract new fans to the sport. It’s yet to be revealed which venues will be included on the revamped Series though the likes of Hong Kong and Dubai are certain to be at the top of the list.
That selection could impact the Americas, with both Los Angeles and Vancouver slated to host tournaments during the current season. On the men’s circuit, the reduction in teams will cast doubt on the participation of Canada and Uruguay. Los Teros has only just qualified as a core team for the first time, while the Canadians finished 14th during the 2021-2022 season.
The announcement comes just ahead of the Dubai Sevens, the opening stop of the new season for the women and the second for the men. Already doubling as an Olympic Qualifier, those on the bottom half of the men’s bracket will now have additional concerns to keep their place among the world’s elite.
