For the first time ever, the New York City area will play host to the best world rugby sevens has to offer.
AmNewYork has learned that World Rugby and TEG Rugby Live are bringing the HSBC SVNS Series to Sports Illustrated Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, from March 14-15.
The top-flight rugby sevens league will serve as the final stop of the regular season before the world championships in Hong Kong, Spain, and France. The HSBC SVNS Series will also make regular-season stops in Dubai, South Africa (Cape Town), Singapore, Australia (Perth), and Canada (Vancouver).
“We are thrilled to bring the HSBC SVNS series to New York, one of the world’s most iconic cities, for the first time,” World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said. “The city’s energy and the passion of US rugby fans make this the perfect stage for our athletes to showcase the speed, skill, and energy of sevens rugby. We look forward to creating an unforgettable experience for fans, players, and the broader rugby community as we continue to grow the sport in the United States.”
Rugby sevens’ popularity has surged in recent years as a more open and fast-paced alternative to traditional rugby, which features 15 players per team on the pitch. The seven-aside version of the game made its way to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but reached a fever pitch stateside during the 2024 Games in Paris when the American women improbably won bronze. It served as a launch pad for the career of Ilona Maher, who has now become one of the most recognizable personalities in the sport.
The United States women’s squad is one of eight teams at the top of the HSBC SVNS Series’ three-tier pyramid, and they’ll be competing at Sports Illustrated Stadium alongside 2024 gold medalists and three-time defending SVNS Series champions New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain, and Japan.
“I’m speechless,” US Women’s Sevens Eagle and Brooklyn native, Su Adegoke, said. “New York and sevens are the same, fast-paced, intense, and everyone brings their own style. As an NYC native, getting to see this happen feels unreal. I would have never seen this coming. My dream was to make it onto a SVNS Series stop, and now the SVNS Series stop is coming to me.”
The men’s side of the game has also experienced significant growth in the United States in recent years. Nearly 20,000 fans attended the Americans’ clash with England at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. in June. Nearly 62,000 fans packed Chicago’s Soldier Field on Nov. 1 to watch Ireland take on New Zealand.
Argentina, Australia, Fiji, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain will face off on the men’s side of the SVNS Series at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
“Working with World Rugby to grow the game in the United States has been a fantastic endeavor,” TEG Rugby Live managing director Stephen Cottrell said. “We’re delighted to take the next step in that partnership by bringing the HSBC SVNS to the East Coast, and to one of the world’s greatest cities.”
Tickets for HSBC SVNS in New York will go on sale Dec. 4 for limited club seats and two-day passes. Single tickets will go on sale in January. Fans can register for early ticket sales opportunities at usasvns.com/new-york-presale.
