2026 Asia Rugby Championship
| Dates | 23 May – 14 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Countries | |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Hong Kong (7th title) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 2 |
| Tries scored | 11 (5.5 per match) |
| Attendance | 2,500 (1,250 per match) |
← 2025 2027 → | |
The 2026 Asia Rugby Championship[a] was the tenth annual rugby union series for Asia Rugby. The tournament was confirmed in January 2026 to kick off in May,[1][2] with the same four nations returning from the previous edition (2025): Hong Kong China, South Korea and Sri Lanka.[1]
The United Arab Emirates were also due to compete, but on 29 April, the United Arab Emirates withdrew from the Championship due to the war in Iran causing uncertainty in safety and travel within the surrounding region.[3] On 9 May, a refined schedule was announced.[2]
The defending champions were Hong Kong China who won the title after defeating South Korea 70–22 and simultaneously qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup for the first time.[4] The retained their title for the seventh time.
Background and format
The format of the series was a single play-off match, followed by a single round-robin where the competing teams played each other once, with the games reversed from the 2025 to allow for an equal share of home games over two years. The team that finished on top of the standings at the end of the series were declared the winners. The team finishing at the bottom of the standing in contention for relegation.
Participants
| Team | Stadium | Head coach | Captain | World Rugby Ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home stadium | Capacity | Location | Start[b] | End[c] | |||
| Hong Kong China |
Hong Kong Football Club Stadium | 2,750 | Happy Valley, Hong Kong |  Logan Asplin |
Dean Squire | 23rd | 23rd |
 South Korea |
Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Field | 4,968 | Namdong, Incheon | Lee Myung-geun |
Lee Hyeon Je | 37th | 38th |
 Sri Lanka |
Colombo Racecourse | 10,000 | Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo | Dushanth Lewke |
Tharindu Chathuranga | 48th | 48th |
Standings
| Champions |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong China |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 23 | +37 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | South Korea |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 45 | −36 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fixtures
Game 1
| 24 May 2026 15:00 SLST (UTC+5:30) |
| (1 BP) Sri Lanka | 14–15 | Hong Kong China |
| Try: Amanath 47' c Marasinghe 60' c Con: Nanayakkara (1/1) 48' Zubair (1/1) 61' Cards: Bandara  27' | Report Match details | Try: Rossouw 44' c Lung 79' c Con: McCann (1/1) 45' White (1/1) 80' Pen: McCann (1/1) 22' Cards: Higson-Smith 68' |
| Colombo Racecourse, Colombo Attendance: 500 Referee: James Fairbourn (UAE) |
Game 2
| 7 June 2026 16:30 HKT (UTC+8) |
| (1 BP) Hong Kong China | 45–9 | South Korea |
| Try: Fameitau 11' m Higson-Smith 24' c Nell 47' c Bartlett (2) 54' c, 57' c Rossouw 70' c Brechin 80' m Con: McCann (5/7) 25', 48', 55', 58', 71' | Report Match details | Pen: Bu Hyon (3/3) 3', 23', 30' Cards: Dong Wan 70' |
| Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Happy Valley Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Tetsuya Hirakawa (Japan) |
Game 3
| 13 June 2026 15:00 KST (UTC+9) |
| (1 BP) South Korea | 20–0 Walkover | Sri Lanka |
| Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Field, Incheon |
South Korea won on walkover because Sri Lanka was unable to obtain the necessary travel visas required to enter Korea in time for the match.[6]
Notes
References
- 1 2 "Asia Rugby Sets the Stage for 2026 with Landmark Emirates Competitions Calendar". asiarugby.com. Asia Rugby. 29 January 2026.
- 1 2 "Asia Rugby Confirms Final Schedule for the Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship 2026". asiarugby.com. Asia Rugby. 9 May 2026.
- ↑ "The United Arab Emirates withdraw from the Asia Rugby Championship 2026". Asie Rugby. 29 April 2026.
- ↑ Ball, Josh (5 July 2025). "Hrstich 'super, super proud' as Hong Kong men make Rugby World Cup history". South China Morning Post. Incheon.
- ↑ "Results Archive | Asia Rugby". asiarugby.com. Asia Rugby.
- ↑ "Emirates Men's Championship 2026 Final Match Cancelled". Asia Rugby. 2026-06-12. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
Asia Rugby Championship winners | |
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