The 40 top men’s and women’s international teams will take to the field in Cape Town on September 9, aiming to leave their mark on Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022. The Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 is ready to get underway in Cape Town, South Africa.

Soon, Rugby World Cup Sevens 40 teams from both men’s and women’s rugby squads will compete for the eighth World Cup Sevens title since the tournament’s inception in 1993. On Wednesday, all 40 foreign team captains gathered in front of the picturesque Table Mountain in Cape Town as anticipation builds for the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022, which will be held at Cape Town Stadium from September 9 to 11.

The unique ‘winner takes all’ knock-out competition system, first implemented at the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 in San Francisco, ensures that every match counts, as teams must win every time they step onto the field to become world champions.

On day one, the 24-team men’s competition begins with a qualification round, including teams ranked from 9 to 24. The qualification round winners will advance to the Round of 16, where they will face the top eight seeded teams, while the losers will compete in the Bowl competition, which will determine positions 17 to 24.

In the Rugby World Cup Sevens qualification round, ninth seeds Ireland, who has been in excellent form on the World Series this year, will face Portugal, who defeated core Series team Spain in the European qualifier to secure their place in Cape Town.

South Africa is the top seed in the men’s event after a stunning 36-match winning streak that saw them win six World Series rounds from 2021 to 2022. However, they will face heavy opposition from Australia, which is seeded second, and Fiji seeded third. New Zealand is the defending men’s champion and is seeded fifth in the event.

The Round of 16 knock-out matches for the 16-team women’s tournament also began on Friday, based on seedings from the first day of action.

With three days of nonstop action on the schedule, here’s everything you need to know to catch the action:

When will the Rugby World Cup Sevens take place in 2022?

The Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 will be held from September 9 to 11.

Where will the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 be held?

The competition will be held in Cape Town. South Africa is hosting the World Cup for the first time since San Francisco did so in 2018.

How many teams will compete in the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2022?

Forty teams are playing in the men’s and women’s sevens competitions: 24 for the men’s side and 16 for the women’s.

How to Watch the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens:

The Rugby World Sevens 2022 can be watched live on the official website. A breakdown of broadcast partners by nation is accessible here.

What is the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 bracket?

The men’s competition begins on Friday with a Pre-Round of 16 with 16 teams competing in eight games for a spot in the main Round of 16. The title game will take place at 11:34 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The women’s bracket begins with the Round of 16 on Friday. The title game will take place at 11:17 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Who won the most recent Rugby World Cup Sevens competition?

In the 2018 men’s competition, New Zealand defeated England 33-12 in the United States to retain their World Cup Sevens title, which they won in Moscow, Russia, in 2013. The All Blacks will try to build on their success, winning the most recent sevens series competition in Los Angeles in August.

On the women’s side, New Zealand had the same success. The women’s squad also won the World Cups in 2013 and 2018. Thus the All Blacks program has a lot riding on this game in South Africa.

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 teams to watch New Zealand and Australia will be the favorites in the women’s competition, having won every championship since the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series began in 2013; Australia also won the inaugural Olympic gold medal in 2016. Fiji’s ladies are also on the ascendant, having earned bronze at Tokyo 2020.

The 2022 World Cup will be the final time England, Scotland, and Wales compete as independent teams on the sevens circuit for the foreseeable future. The teams will play as a joint Great Britain team beginning with the 2022/23 Sevens Series season, as they did in the 2021 season, with an eye toward the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

On the men’s side of the draw, Scotland and Wales will have to go through the first round, but England should be one of the teams to go deep. Australia, who just won the 2021/22 World Rugby Sevens Series, New Zealand, and hosts South Africa, which won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in August, are among the other rugby powers hoping to challenge the Fijians.

While the World Cup is not anticipated to uproot any trees, it does provide some minor rugby sevens-playing nations with a weekend in the spotlight.

Portugal was the tournament’s surprise qualifier from Europe, edging out rivals Spain in a qualification play-off. South Korea has also qualified for the World Cup Sevens for the first time since 2005. Other non-traditional rugby countries that have made it include Jamaica, Chile, Uruguay, and Germany.

Meanwhile, Madagascar has seized Africa’s qualifying position, with hosts South Africa automatically qualifying for the women’s tournament. This is their first World Cup appearance. Colombia will also compete in the Women’s World Cup for the first time.

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 full schedule

All times South African Standard Time (UTC/GMT +2 hours)

Friday, September 9

08:45 Men’s Pre-Round of 16: Ireland v Portugal
09:07 Men’s Pre-Round of 16: Canada v Zimbabwe
09:29 Men’s Pre-Round of 16: Samoa v Uganda
09:51 Men’s Pre-Round of 16: Scotland v Jamaica
10:23 Men’s Pre-Round of 16: Kenya v Tonga
10:45 Men’s Pre-Round of 16: Wales v Korea
11:07 Men’s Pre-Round of 16: Hong Kong v Uruguay
11:29 Men’s Pre-Round of 16: Germany v Chile
12:11 Women’s Round of 16: Australia v Madagascar
12:33 Women’s Round of 16: USA v Poland
12:55 Women’s Round of 16: Canada v China
13:17 Women’s Round of 16: Fiji v Japan
13:54 Women’s Round of 16: Ireland v Brazil
14:16 Women’s Round of 16: England v Spain
14:39 Men’s Round of 16: England v Ireland/Portugal
15:02 Men’s Round of 16: France v Canada/Zimbabwe
15:39 Men’s Round of 16: USA v Samoa/Uganda
16:01 Men’s Round of 16: New Zealand v Scotland/Jamaica
16:23 Men’s Round of 16: Argentina v Kenya/Tonga
16:45 Men’s Round of 16: Australia v Hong Kong/Uruguay
17:37 Women’s Round of 16: New Zealand v Colombia
18:05 Men’s Round of 16: Fiji v Wales/Korea
18:35 Women’s Round of 16: France v South Africa
19:03 Men’s Round of 16: South Africa v Germany/Chile

Saturday, September 10

08:15 Men’s Bowl quarter-finals (ranking 17th to 24th)
09:53 Women’s Challenge quarter-finals (ranking 9th to 16th)
11:32 Men’s Challenge quarter-finals (ranking 9th to 16th)
13:17 Men’s Bowl 21/24 Place semi-finals
14:01 Men’s Bowl semi-finals (ranking 17th to 20th)
15:05 Women’s Challenge 13/16 semi-finals
15:49 Women’s Challenge semi-finals (ranking 9th to 12th)
16:53 Men’s Challenge 13/16 semi-finals
17:37 Men’s Challenge semi-finals (ranking 9th to 12th)
19:07 Women’s and Men’s Championship quarter-finals

Sunday, September 11

08:30 Men’s Bowl 23/24 Place
08:52 Men’s Bowl 21/22 Place
09:14 Men’s Bowl 19/20 Place
09:36 Men’s Bowl Final (ranking 17th and 18th)
10:18 Women’s Championship 5/8 Place semi-finals
11:02 Men’s Championship 5/8 Place semi-finals
12:07 Women’s and Men’s Championship semi-finals
14:15 Women’s Challenge 15/16 Place
14:37 Women’s Challenge 13/14 Place
14:59 Women’s Challenge 11/12 Place
15:21 Women’s Challenge Final (ranking 9th and 10th)
15:58 Men’s Challenge 15/16 Place
16:20 Men’s Challenge 13/14 Place
16:42 Men’s Challenge 11/12 Place
17:04 Men’s Challenge Final (ranking 9th and 10th)
17:31 Women’s Championship 7/8 Place
17:53 Women’s Championship 5/6 Place
18:15 Men’s Championship 7/8 Place
18:37 Men’s Championship 5/6 Place
19:01 Women’s Championship Bronze Final
19:25 Men’s Championship Bronze Final
20:17 Women’s Championship Final
20:54 Men’s Championship Final

Rugby sevens format World Cup in 2022:

The men’s draw features 24 teams, while the women’s draw features 16 teams competing in an elimination bracket system.

However, each team will play at least four matches during the event, as loser brackets will be used to determine each competing team’s ultimate position.

Also, full format check out here

The top eight teams in the men’s event receive a bye into Round 16. The remaining 16 teams begin the tournament with the Pre-Round of 16, with the victors progressing to the next Round and the losers advancing to the Bowl bracket. The losers of the Round of 16 are placed in the Challenge bracket, while the remaining teams are in the Championship bracket.

How to Watch Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022: Live All Match, Schedule Preview, Format and more