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The first Olympic sporting event to be held in Africa is fast approaching. With one month to go before the start of the competition, the international rugby federation has unveiled the teams that have qualified to take part.Â
A total of 16 teams, eight men’s and eight women’s, will compete in Senegal. This represents equal representation in the sport, an important criterion in the organisation of the Dakar 2026 YOG, which will be the first edition to feature an equal number of female and male athletes, as well as the same number of events for each gender.Â
Eight men’s teams
Divided into two pools, the men’s teams will begin the tournament with matches on 1 November. The men’s finals will take place on the afternoon of 2 November.Â
Here are the men’s teams competing at the Dakar 2026 YOG:
- Pool A
South Africa (RSA)
Germany (GER)
Canada (CAN)Â
Senegal (SEN)Â
- Pool B
Argentina (ARG)Â
France (FRA)Â
Japan (JPN)Â
Uganda (UGA)Â
Eight women’s teams
In the women’s competition, matches will begin on 2 November. The women’s finals are scheduled for the afternoon of 3 November.Â
- Pool A
Australia (AUS)Â
Kenya (KEN)
China (CHN)Â
Senegal (SEN)Â
- Pool B
United States (USA)Â
Spain (ESP)Â
Czechia (CZE)Â
Madagascar (MAD)Â
Ranking of the qualified teams
- Men
2 ArgentinaÂ
5 CanadaÂ
3 FranceÂ
4 GermanyÂ
6 JapanÂ
7 UgandaÂ
8 SenegalÂ
1 South AfricaÂ
- Women
1 AustraliaÂ
5 ChinaÂ
6 CzechiaÂ
4 KenyaÂ
7 MadagascarÂ
8 SenegalÂ
3 SpainÂ
2 United StatesÂ
Book your tickets!
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will take place from 31 October to 13 November. A total of 2,700 athletes are expected in Senegal to compete.Â
In addition to the rugby sevens matches, which will be held at the Complexe Iba Mar Diop, 24 other sports will feature on the official competition programme, across seven other venues in Saly, Diamniadio and Dakar.Â
