Kenya Lionesses land top seed in HSBC Challenger Series Cape Town leg

Fresh from their historic first international tournament victory, the Kenya Lionesses have secured the top seed for the second leg of the 2025 HSBC Challenger Series.

The tournament is set for next weekend at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Lionesses clinched their maiden title with a thrilling 17-12 win over Argentina in the first-leg final. Now, they are placed in Pool A alongside Uganda and Belgium.

The Belgians previously ended Kenya’s World Series playoff hopes with a 26-7 win in last year’s Challenger Series third-place playoff in Poland.

The Lionesses will be keen to avenge that defeat. Meanwhile, Kenya has dominated Uganda in recent encounters, including a 19-0 victory in the Africa Cup 7s semi-finals in Accra, Ghana, which secured Kenya’s direct qualification for the Challenger Series.

Uganda will be eager to build on their recent 17-7 win over Japan in the 7th-place playoff, while Belgium finished ninth after a 19-12 win over Hong Kong China.

The competition in Cape Town features strong teams across the pools. Pool B includes Argentina, Czechia, and Hong Kong, China, while Pool C comprises South Africa, Poland, and Samoa. Pool D features Colombia, Thailand, and Mexico.

The Challenger Series includes back-to-back events in Cape Town, culminating in a final tournament in Krakow, Poland, on April 11-12.

The top four men’s and women’s teams with the most cumulative points across all three rounds will qualify for the HSBC SVNS Play-Offs in Los Angeles on May 3-4.

There, they will battle against the bottom four ranked teams from HSBC SVNS 2025 for a coveted place in future SVNS tournaments.

HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 Schedule

Cape Town, South Africa | March 1-2

Cape Town, South Africa | March 7-8

Los Angeles, USA | May 3-4

Women’s Pools

Pool A: Kenya, Uganda, Belgium

Pool B: Argentina, Czechia, Hong Kong China

Pool C: South Africa, Poland, Samoa

Pool D: Colombia, Thailand, Mexico

With their historic win fueling their momentum, the Kenya Lionesses are ready to prove themselves on the global stage again.