The 2026 Uganda Rugby 7s Series gets underway this weekend with the Stone City 7s at Ruck Yard Sports Club, marking the return of one of the country’s premier rugby competitions with Nile Special once again backing the championship.
The new season will feature 12 core men’s teams and eight core women’s teams competing across six tournaments around the country before culminating in the Kabaka Coronation 7s Grand Finale at Muteesa II Stadium, Wankulukuku, in September.
Running under the theme “Tukikube. Every Stop.”, this year’s Series is designed to take rugby beyond Kampala by expanding competition to more regions while creating greater opportunities for players, clubs and fans to participate in the sport.
The six-stop circuit will travel through Kampala, Kyadondo, Gulu and Bugembe before returning to Kampala for the season finale.
For Nile Special, the sponsorship reinforces the brand’s longstanding partnership with Ugandan rugby and its commitment to growing the sport by creating memorable experiences for players and supporters alike.
Speaking ahead of the opening tournament, Nile Special Brand Manager Eric Malinga said the partnership goes beyond supporting the action on the pitch.
“Nile Special has always stood for the spirit of togetherness that brings Ugandans to their feet, and there is no better stage for that than the Uganda Rugby 7s Series. Tukikube—we’re proud to do this alongside every host, player and fan this season,” Malinga said.
The season opens with the Stone City 7s on July 24–25 at Ruck Yard Sports Club, hosted by Hippos RFC. The tournament will feature Friday evening matches under floodlights before play resumes on Saturday, culminating in the men’s final at 5:00 p.m.
Following the opening round, the Series will move to the Rujumba 7s at King’s Park Arena on August 1–2, the Kyadondo 7s at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds on August 22–23, the Lawirwodi 7s in Gulu on August 29–30, and the Kyabazinga 7s in Bugembe on September 12–13.
The season will conclude with the Kabaka Coronation 7s at Muteesa II Stadium, Wankulukuku, on September 19–20 in partnership with the Buganda Kingdom.
A major addition to this year’s calendar is the Lawirwodi 7s in Gulu, reflecting Uganda Rugby’s strategy to grow the game beyond the central region and strengthen the sport’s national footprint.
Desire Derekford Mugumisa, Chairperson of the Uganda Rugby Sevens Organising Committee, said the revamped competition is intended to create a more inclusive and merit-based domestic rugby structure.
“Tukikube. Every Stop. speaks to what we want this season to represent: opportunity, competition and growth at every level. Every club in Uganda now has an earned route to the top. With the Pathway Series feeding promotion into the national championship, nobody’s place is given and nobody’s ceiling is fixed. That is how a sport grows,” Mugumisa said.
The 2026 season also introduces significant structural reforms aimed at strengthening the pathway into elite domestic rugby.
The women’s core competition has expanded from six to eight teams, providing more opportunities for female players and enhancing the competitiveness of the women’s game.
In addition, invitational teams at individual tournaments have been replaced by the new Uganda Rugby 7s Pathway Series, a nationwide regional competition in which each of Uganda’s four regions will host four qualifying tournaments, followed by two Promotional Series events.
At the end of the season, the bottom two men’s and women’s teams in the national Series will be relegated and replaced by the top two teams from the Promotional Series, establishing a clear promotion and relegation system that allows emerging clubs to earn their place in Uganda’s top-tier Rugby 7s competition.
The new structure is expected to deepen competition, widen the talent pool and accelerate the growth of rugby across Uganda.
