Bhubaneswar: The winnersโ trophy of the Asia Rugby Emirates U20 Sevens 2026 was unveiled here on Friday by Odisha Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj.
The international competition will be held at the Kalinga Stadium on November 14 and 15.
Seventeen teams from 10 Asian nations will vie for top honours, with 10 competing in menโs competition and 7 in womenโs event. Besides hosts India, the other participating countries are Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong China, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Nepal and Jordan.
Indian men will face Hong Kong China, Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei and Nepal in Group A.
In womenโs event, India have been placed in Group D along with Sri Lanka, Singapore and Nepal. The finals will be held on November 15.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป! ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐ด๐ฏ๐ ๐๐บ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐จ20 ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ 2026 Honโble Minister, Sports and Youth Services, Sri @suryabanshibjp unveiled the championship trophy of Asia Rugby Emirates U20 Sevens 2026 at #KalingaStadium in the presence of officials from @asiarugby, @RugbyIndia, @odisha_rugby and captains of all teams. #OdishaForSports #Rugby #AREU20 #AsiaRugby #RugbySevens
โ Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha) November 13, 2026
To encourage rugby lovers, the organisers have made entry free for the matches at Kalinga Stadium.
โIndia is steadily strengthening its position as an emerging rugby nation in Asia, with growing participation, development initiatives and an increasing presence on the international stage. Hosting the Asia Rugby Emirates U20 Sevens 2026 further reinforces this progress and provides an important platform for the next generation of Indian players to compete against the best age-grade teams in the region,โ said Asia Rugby CEO Benjamin van Rooyen.
Sports minister Suraj said Odisha was delighted to host the Asia Rugby meet in Bhubaneswar.
โOur continued investment in sporting infrastructure and commitment to hosting major competitions reflect our ambition to create opportunities for athletes at every level. We are equally focused on identifying talent at the grassroots, nurturing young athletes and providing them with the right training and support to excel at national and international levels. We warmly welcome all participating teams and officials to Odisha and wish them an exciting and memorable championship,โ said Suraj.