Kenya Lionesses to play international WXV 3 tournament in Dubai

The women’s national rugby 15s side Kenya Lionesses will be heading to Dubai for the inaugural edition of the WXV 3 tournament that, will be played at The Sevens Stadium from 14-28 October, World Rugby has confirmed.

The Dennis Mwanja-coached side, who finished as runners up behind South Africa in the 2023 Rugby Africa Women's Cup to secure their spot in the international competition that will be held annually, will be joined by Fiji, Ireland and Kazakhstan who have already confirmed their places.

Lionesses beat Cameroon to qualify for newly launched World Rugby WXV 3 Championship

Two spots remain to be filled by the winner of the two-leg play-off between Colombia and Brazil in Medellin, Colombia on 5 and 9 July and the loser of the play-off between Italy and Spain on 22 July in Piacenza, Italy.

The tournament will be supported by UAE Rugby Federation and hosted at The Sevens Stadium, which is no stranger to hosting world-class international competitions including the Emirates Dubai 7s and men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers.

World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby, Sally Horrox said: “We are excited to confirm Dubai as host of WXV 3. We have a longstanding relationship with the fantastic team at The Sevens Stadium and we can’t wait to work closely with them again as we bring women’s rugby to our fans in Asia once more.

Competition is fierce as teams compete to secure their place. We look forward to seeing who joins Fiji, Ireland, Kenya and Kazakhstan in WXV 3.”

Mohamed Sultan AlZaabi, Secretary General, UAE Rugby Federation, added: "The United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation is delighted to host the WXV 3 event. As a host of the iconic Emirates Dubai 7s, we look forward to becoming a hub for more world-level rugby events.

“This event also allows us to support the growth of women's rugby which has seen a sharp increase and we hope it can also help inspire the next generation of players.

“We extend a warm welcome to all participating teams and fans, and believe we create an electrifying atmosphere that showcases the spirit of rugby in the heart of the United Arab Emirates."

Wiseman Were punches ticket to Budapest after reigning supreme in National Athletics Championships

Earlier this week, World Rugby announced that WXV 1 will be played in three cities across New Zealand in Wellington (Sky Stadium), Dunedin (Forsyth Barr Stadium) and Auckland (Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart) from 20 October to 4 November.

So far, England, France and Wales have secured their places in WXV 1 by virtue of their performances in the TikTok Women’s Six Nations 2023. They will be joined by the top three teams from this year’s World Rugby Pacific Four Series, which features Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA.

Japan, Samoa, Scotland and South Africa occupy four of the six spots in WXV 2 with the remaining two to be determined by the lowest placed team in the Pacific Four Series and the winner of the Italy versus Spain play-off. An announcement regarding the venue for WXV 2 in Cape Town will be made shortly.

Amon Wamalwa - Shujaa youngster savoring second chance at rugby after surviving heart surgery

WXV is being supported by partners Mastercard, Capgemini and Gallagher, with World Rugby also injecting multi-million pound investment funding over an initial two-year period in the sprint to an expanded 16-team Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.

WXV - How does it work?

WXV 1

WXV 1 will consist of six teams and be played in a cross-pool format.

Participating teams will include the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (Europe) and the top three teams from the World Rugby Pacific Four Series (Rugby Americas North/Oceania).

Each team will play three matches. There will be no relegation or promotion for the first two years.

WXV 2

The WXV 2 competition will consist of six teams, playing in a cross-pool format. Participating teams for 2023 will include two teams from Europe, the fourth-placed team from the Pacific Four Series, alongside one team from Oceania, Asia and Africa.

The sixth-placed regional position in the WXV 2 competition at the end of each season will be relegated to WXV 3.

WXV 3

WXV 3 will also be played as a cross-pool format, made up of six teams: two from Europe and one from Asia, Oceania, Africa and South America.

The regional position of the winner of WXV 3 will be promoted to WXV 2 and the bottom team will play off against the next best ranked side, according to the World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini on the Monday after the final match of WXV that year.