Rotorua to host international rugby sevens tournament

The only international rugby sevens tournament in New Zealand this year is coming to Rotorua next month.

Oceania Rugby and New Zealand Rugby today confirmed that the Rotorua International Stadium will host the 2026 Oceania Rugby 7s Cup on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1.

Over the two days, fans will see a non-stop schedule of matches, with places on the line for Oceania’s qualification spots to the HSBC SVNS 3 series, a media release from economic development agency RotoruaNZ said.

RotoruaNZ head of commercial Sam Hulton said: “Rotorua is thrilled to be hosting the Oceania 7’s Cup 2026, the only international sevens tournament taking place in Aotearoa.

“Welcoming teams from across Oceania and around the world is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Rotorua as a leading host of international sporting events and to share our unique culture, experiences and hospitality with visitors.

“We know events like this deliver real benefits for our community while reinforcing Rotorua’s reputation as a vibrant destination for major events, sport and tourism.”

Hosting the tournament reinforced Rotorua’s position as a leading destination for major international sporting events, and offered visitors more than the action on the field – combining international sport with world-renowned Māori culture, geothermal landscapes and adventure experiences, within easy reach of Auckland, Waikato and the wider Bay of Plenty, he said.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) sevens high-performance lead Hannah Porter said the tournament was a good opportunity for players to get “valuable game time against international opposition”.

“I know our players are looking forward to playing in front of whānau, friends and home fans in Rotorua.”

Eight teams will contest the men’s 7s Cup – Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands and Niue – with five of those unions, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands and Niue, also competing for Oceania’s SVNS 3 qualification places.

The women's competition runs across two sections.

The women’s competition runs across two sections: the Oceania 7s Women’s Cup, doubling as the SVNS 3 qualifier, features Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue and Solomon Islands, while a six-team International Women’s Invitational brings Fiji, New Zealand and Australia together with France, Japan and the United States.

Saturday’s play will run from 9am with pool matches across all three competitions, setting the seedings for Sunday, when pool play gives way to knockout football – quarter-finals and semi-finals in the men’s Cup, and semi-finals in both women’s competitions – building to a finals session that closes out the tournament with the Women’s International Invitational, women’s Cup and men’s Cup finals played back-to-back into the evening.

Oceania Rugby general manager Frank Puletua said the tournament was “one of the most competitive Oceania 7s Cup fields we’ve assembled”, with SVNS qualification on the line for five member unions in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

Over the two-day tournament, the Cup and the second-tier Oceania 7s Challenge will continue to operate as connected competitions, with promotion and relegation between them providing a transparent, merit-based pathway for Member Unions to progress.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Mike Rogers said the union was proud to support Rotorua in hosting the Oceania Rugby 7s Cup.

“Events of this calibre benefit rugby right across our region, from grassroots clubs through to our high-performance pathway, and we’re looking forward to welcoming teams and fans to Rotorua International Stadium.”

Oceania Rugby president Richard Sapias said this was a golden era for rugby in the region.

“This support for the Oceania 7s will provide a valuable platform to deliver high performance, media and communications education and training to participating Pacific teams and their staff, while supporting the region’s continued strength in sevens rugby ahead of Los Angeles [Olympics] 2028 and Brisbane [Olympics] 2032.”

Tickets for the 2026 Oceania Rugby 7s Cup are available via Ticketmaster.