Rugby sevens at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's qualification

Twelve teams qualify for women's rugby sevens at the 2020 Summer Olympics (postponed to 2021[1] due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Japan automatically qualifies as host, with the top four teams of the 2018–19 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series securing their spots. Afterwards, qualification is determined with each of the six continental confederations determining a representative, and the remaining qualification spot determined through an international sevens tournament to be determined.[2][3]

Table

Event	Dates	Location	Quotas	Qualifier
Host	7 September 2013	N/A	1	Japan
2018–19 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series	20 October 2018 – 16 June 2019	Various	4	New Zealand
				United States
				Canada
				Australia
2019 South American Qualifying Tournament	1–2 June 2019	Lima	1	Brazil
2019 RAN Women's Sevens	6–7 July 2019	George Town	0[note 1]	—
2019 European Qualifying Tournament	13–14 July 2019	Kazan	1	Great Britain
2019 Africa Women's Sevens	12–13 October 2019	Jemmal	1	Kenya[note 2]
2019 Oceania Women's Sevens Championship	7–9 November 2019	Suva	1	Fiji
2019 Asian Qualifying Tournament	9–10 November 2019	Guangzhou	1	China
2020 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament	TBD[5]	TBD	2[note 1]
Total				12

• Notes:

1. With both the United States and Canada advancing to the tournament through securing top four slots in the 2018–19 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, the spot for the RAN champion was re-allocated to the final Olympic qualifying tournament, which will now see two teams qualify for the Olympic Games.
2. South Africa won the qualifying tournament but declined their spot due to a policy against accepting spots from continental tournaments. Kenya, as runner-up, qualified instead.[4]

2018–19 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series

As a principal route for the tournament, four places were determined by performance in the series over six tournaments.[6]

2018–19 Core Teams
Pos	Event  Team	Glendale	Dubai	Sydney	Kitakyushu	Langford	Biarritz	Points total
1	New Zealand	20	20	20	12	20	18	110
2	United States	18	14	16	16	16	20	100
3	Canada	16	18	12	20	12	16	94
4	Australia	12	16	18	10	18	12	86
5	France	14	8	10	14	14	10	70
6	England[note 1]	6	10	3	18	10	3	50
7	Russia	8	12	8	6	8	6	48
8	Ireland	10	6	14	8	2	1	41
9	Spain	4	3	6	3	6	14	36
10	Fiji	3	2	4	4	4	4	21
11	China	2	4	2	2	3	8	21

• Notes:

1. By agreement between the three unions on the island of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales), England represented Great Britain in qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Sevens.[7] The final make-up of the Great Britain women's team was determined by the British Olympic Association.

Africa

Rugby Africa held the 2019 Africa Women's Sevens on 12–13 October 2019 at Jemmal, Tunisia.[8] With South Africa declining their Olympic qualification spot, Kenya advanced to the Olympic tournament.[4]

Pool A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Kenya	3	3	0	0	123	0	+123	9
Senegal	3	2	0	1	36	56	−20	7
Ghana	3	1	0	2	22	63	−41	5
Botswana	3	0	0	3	20	82	−62	3

Pool B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
South Africa	3	3	0	0	99	0	+99	9
Uganda	3	2	0	1	25	47	−22	7
Zimbabwe	3	1	0	2	17	48	−31	5
Zambia	3	0	0	3	17	63	−46	3

Pool C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Madagascar	3	3	0	0	89	7	+82	9
Tunisia	3	2	0	1	76	14	+62	7
Morocco	3	1	0	2	41	65	−24	5
Mauritius	3	0	0	3	0	120	−120	3

Knockout Round

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	13 Oct 2019 – 9:30 – Jemmal, Tunisia
	South Africa	42
					13 Oct 2019 – 13:20 – Jemmal, Tunisia
	Morocco	0
					South Africa	29
	13 Oct 2019 – 9:52 – Jemmal, Tunisia
					Madagascar	0
	Madagascar	24
									13 Oct 2019 – 16:30 – Jemmal, Tunisia
	Senegal	5
									South Africa	15
	13 Oct 2019 – 10:14 – Jemmal, Tunisia
									Kenya	14
	Uganda	0
					13 Oct 2019 – 13:42 – Jemmal, Tunisia
	Tunisia	33
					Tunisia	0
	13 Oct 2019 – 10:36 – Jemmal, Tunisia
					Kenya	19			Third place
	Kenya	36
									13 Oct 2019 – 16:04 – Jemmal, Tunisia
	Zimbabwe	5
									Madagascar	5
									Tunisia	0

Asia

Asia Rugby held a tournament on 9–10 November 2019 in Guangzhou, China.[9] Japan, already qualified for the Olympics as the host country, did not enter. China won the tournament and gained direct qualification.

Pool A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
China	3	3	0	0	146	7	+139	9
Hong Kong	3	2	0	1	81	49	+32	7
Sri Lanka	3	1	0	2	26	87	–61	5
South Korea	3	0	0	3	5	115	–110	3

Pool B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Kazakhstan	3	3	0	0	97	17	+80	9
Thailand	3	2	0	1	81	17	+64	7
Singapore	3	1	0	2	20	98	–78	5
Philippines	3	0	0	3	24	90	–66	3

Knockout round

	Semi-finals				Final
	10 November – 13:14 – Guangzhou
	Kazakhstan	7
					10 November – 16:30 – Guangzhou
	Hong Kong	19
					Hong Kong	0
	10 November – 13:36 – Guangzhou
					China	33
	China	34
	Thailand	0
					Third place
					10 November – 16:04 – Guangzhou
					Kazakhstan	17
					Thailand	14

Europe

Rugby Europe held a tournament on 13–14 July 2019 in Kazan, Russia.[10] England won the tournament, meaning that Great Britain qualified for the Olympics.

Teams eligible to compete in the tournament included:

• The top seven placed Olympic teams in the 2019 Marcoussis Women's Sevens, with England representing Great Britain
• The top four placed teams in the 2019 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Trophy
• The 2019 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Conference winner

Pool A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
France	3	3	0	0	125	5	+120	9
Poland	3	2	0	1	67	46	+21	7
Italy	3	1	0	2	48	69	–21	5
Moldova	3	0	0	3	5	125	–120	3

Pool B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Russia	3	3	0	0	110	5	+105	9
England	3	2	0	1	114	26	+88	7
Sweden	3	1	0	2	29	84	–55	5
Germany	3	0	0	3	5	143	–138	3

Pool C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Spain	3	3	0	0	89	12	+77	9
Ireland	3	2	0	1	103	19	+84	7
Romania	3	1	0	2	34	88	–54	5
Czech Republic	3	0	0	3	12	119	–107	3

Knockout stage

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	14 July – 10:00 – Central Stadium
	France	55
					14 July – 13:59 – Central Stadium
	Romania	0
					France	12
	14 July – 11:06 – Central Stadium
					England	14
	England	17
									14 July – 17:11 – Central Stadium
	Ireland	7
									England	19
	14 July – 10:22 – Central Stadium
									Russia	0
	Russia	44
					14 July – 14:21 – Central Stadium
	Italy	0
					Russia	12
	14 July – 10:44 – Central Stadium
					Spain	5			Third place
	Spain	17
									14 July – 16:46 – Central Stadium
	Poland	14
									France	17
									Spain	5

North America

Rugby Americas North held the 2019 RAN Women's Sevens on 6–7 July 2019 at George Town, Cayman Islands. With the United States and Canada both qualifying through the Women's Sevens Series, the first and second placed teams Jamaica and Mexico advanced to the final qualifying tournament.[11]

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Jamaica	5	5	0	0	164	24	+140	15
Mexico	5	3	1	1	112	49	+63	10
Saint Lucia	5	3	0	2	73	42	+31	9
Trinidad and Tobago	5	2	1	2	88	61	+27	7
Bermuda	5	1	0	4	15	156	–141	3
Bahamas	5	0	0	5	20	140	–120	0

Oceania

Oceania Rugby held the 2019 Oceania Women's Sevens Championship on 7–9 November 2019 at Suva, Fiji.[12] With Australia and New Zealand already qualified through the Women's Sevens Series, Fiji gained direct qualification to the Olympics while Papua New Gunea and Samoa advanced to the final qualifying tournament.

Pool B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Fiji	3	3	0	0	189	0	+189	9
Solomon Islands	3	1	0	2	41	97	–56	5
Vanuatu	3	1	0	2	29	85	–56	5
Nauru	3	1	0	2	27	104	–77	5

Pool C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Papua New Guinea	3	3	0	0	88	22	+66	9
Samoa	3	2	0	1	74	36	+38	7
Cook Islands	3	1	0	2	56	45	+11	5
Tonga	3	0	0	3	5	120	–115	3

Knockout stage

	Semi-finals				Olympic qualifier
	9 November – 12:12 – ANZ Stadium
	Fiji	43
					9 November – 18:35 – ANZ Stadium
	Samoa	0
					Fiji	36
	9 November – 12:34 – ANZ Stadium
					Papua New Guinea	0
	Papua New Guinea	31
	Solomon Islands	7
					Repechage qualifier
					9 November – 16:58 – ANZ Stadium
					Samoa	45
					Solomon Islands	0

South America

Sudamérica Rugby held a tournament on 1–2 June 2019 in Lima, Peru.[13] Brazil won direct qualification to the Olympics while the second and third placed teams Colombia and Argentina advanced to the final qualifying tournament.

Pool A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Brazil	4	4	0	0	200	17	+183	12
Peru	4	3	0	1	80	50	+30	10
Paraguay	4	2	0	2	65	79	–14	8
Venezuela	4	1	0	3	36	123	–87	6
Guatemala	4	0	0	4	15	127	–112	4

Pool B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Colombia	4	3	1	0	164	31	+133	11
Argentina	4	3	1	0	154	24	+130	11
Chile	4	2	0	2	45	64	–19	8
Uruguay	4	1	0	3	25	112	–87	6
Costa Rica	4	0	0	4	0	157	–157	4

Knockout

	Semi-finals				Final
	2 June 2019 – 12:32 – Andrés Avelino Cáceres Complex
	Brazil	36
					2 June 2019 – 15:12 – Andrés Avelino Cáceres Complex
	Argentina	14
					Brazil	28
	2 June 2019 – 12:54 – Andrés Avelino Cáceres Complex
					Colombia	15
	Colombia	19
	Peru	5
					Third place
					2 June 2019 – 14:50 – Andrés Avelino Cáceres Complex
					Argentina	22
					Peru	12

Olympic qualification event

A 12-team repechage tournament was scheduled to be held from 20–21 June 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A new venue and date for the tournament has yet to be announced. Two runners-up from each of the six continental qualification tournaments will play, with the winner and runner-up advancing to the Olympic tournament.[14]

Continent	Qualifiers
Africa	Madagascar
	Tunisia[note 1]
Asia	Hong Kong
	Kazakhstan
Europe	France
	Russia
North America	Jamaica
	Mexico
Oceania	Papua New Guinea
	Samoa
South America	Argentina
	Colombia
Total	12

• Notes:

1. Kenya originally qualified for the OQE as the second-placed team but instead advanced directly to the Olympics after South Africa declined their place. They were replaced by Tunisia, the fourth-placed team.

See also

• Rugby sevens at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's qualification

References

1. "Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee". olympic.org (press release). International Olympic Committee. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 April 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
2. "World Rugby and IOC confirm rugby sevens qualification process for Tokyo 2020". insidethegames.biz. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
3. "QUALIFICATION SYSTEM – GAMES OF THE XXXII OLYMPIAD – TOKYO 2020" (PDF). World Rugby. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
4. "Kenya qualify for Tokyo 2020 despite Rugby Africa Women's Sevens final defeat". www.insidethegames.biz. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
5. "Rugby sevens boosted by preparation investment ahead of Olympic Games". World Rugby. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
6. "Schedule confirmed for HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019". World Rugby. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
7. "Sevens Olympic pathway confirmed for 2020". England Rugby. 17 September 2018. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018.
8. "Africa Men and Women's Sevens, the two tournaments serving as qualification events for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, Tokyo 2020". Rugby Africa. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
9. "Calendar 2019". Asia Rugby. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
10. "Женский отбор на ОИ-2020 по регби-7 пройдет в Казани" (in Russian). ria.ru. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
11. "Cayman Islands and Barbados to play host to 2019 RAN Competitions". Rugby Americas North. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
12. "Rugby sevens regional qualifiers confirmed for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games". Oceania Rugby. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
13. "Perú: se Entregó el Campo de Juego de Lima 2019" (in Spanish). Sudamérica Rugby. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
14. "Olympic preparations for sevens teams up in the air". Rugby World. Retrieved 1 August 2020.