Kenya Sevens and Lionesses have their work cut out for them next month ahead of the Montevideo Sevens as reality sinks in after the opening leg of the 2026 HSBC SVNS Division two saw both teams register mixed results in Nairobi.

Hosting a HSBC SVNS leg for the first time ever, fans did not disappoint after filling Nyayo Stadium for two days running and showing the whole world watching that Kenya loves rugby as a celebratory energy filled the air.

Despite the fan flair and excitement on the stands, Shujaa and Lionesses posted mixed show on the pitch with the women’s team the less impressive.

Lionesses won only one match out of the five played across Saturday and Sunday while Shujaa were on top with four wins out five, missing out on the gold medal after losing to USA in their final match of the opening leg.

With a spot in next year’s top tier HSBC SVNS Division One at stake later in the year, Kenya must now up their socks if they are to make their dream a reality. Last year, World Rugby shuttered Kenyans hopes after changing the World Rugby Sevens format when they introduced Division One, two and three.

The changes brought to an end the days of 16, or even 12 nations dining indefinitely at the top table of the global sevens game.

Instead, eight men’s and eight women’s teams are now battling it out in Division 1, across six global events that include the traditional HSBC SVNS Series opener in Dubai, Cape Town, Singapore, Australia, New York and Vancouver.

In Division two where Kenya is currently participating in, the top four men’s and women’s teams will earn promotion to the elite HSBC SVNS World Championship Series. With the opening leg already done and dusted in Nairobi, the teams move to Montevideo in Uruguay next month and Sao Paulo in Brazil also in March.

After the Nairobi leg, Shujaa sit third on the log with 16 points, four points behind leaders Germany who were crowned gold medal winners at Nyayo and two point behind USA who finished runners up.

By the end of next month, Kenya must ensure they are among the top four as they continue battling Belgium, Canada, Germany, USA, and Uruguay for them to stand a chance of making the World Championships.

Here, the winner-takes-all series will see 24 teams (12 men’s and 12 women’s) compete at prestigious three stops.

The Championship journey will kick off in Hong Kong at the iconic Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, before heading to Europe for an exciting new double-header finale.

Valladolid (Spain) and Bordeaux (France) will make their debut on the SVNS calendar, hosting back-to-back events that will bring the World Championship to a dramatic close.

In the end, the top eight teams from the three legs will be promoted to Division One for the 2027 season while the bottom four drop to division two and the cycle begins again.

For Lionesses, the situation is direr as they sit fifth with 12 points behind China (14), Spain (16), South Africa (18) and Argentina (20). Brazil are bottom with 10 points.

The women’s team must at least finish in the top three in the next two legs to be sure of finishing among the top four.