Seven's World Series Women - France 2026/27

Seven's World Series Women is the top-tier global rugby sevens competition for female athletes, organised by World Rugby. It operates as a season-long league rather than a single knockout event, consisting of multiple tournament stops across different countries. The circuit features core teams that compete in a round-robin group stage followed by knockout finals and placement play-offs. Points accumulated at each stop determine the League Winner, while a separate Grand Final decides the Series Champion.

The event differs significantly from regional competitions by featuring global core teams, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, and Fiji. It also stands apart from the Rugby World Cup, which is a quadrennial tournament, as this series is held annually. The French stop, hosted recently in Bordeaux and previously in Toulouse, serves as a key event on the calendar. It often functions as the season finale or Grand Final host and is notable for determining Olympic qualification spots.

Promotion and relegation mechanisms exist within the structure. The bottom teams from the core series compete in play-offs against top performers from the second-tier Challenger Series (SVNS 2) to retain or gain core status. This ensures a dynamic level of competition throughout the year. While the men's series dates back to 1999, the women's circuit was established in 2012. The inaugural season began in Dubai, and the competition has been sponsored by HSBC since 2014, rebranding to HSBC SVNS in 2023.

New Zealand holds a prominent position in the history of the series, having won the inaugural title in 2012–13 and the 2024–25 League and Grand Final titles. They are currently the holders of the 2024–25 overall title. The format involves 12 core teams, though this has been reduced to eight for the 2025–26 season. The competition provides a platform for nations to showcase their sevens capabilities on a global stage outside of the Olympic Games.