There is all to fight for in a make or break scenario for the two Kenya teams – Shujaa and Kenya Lionesses – as the third World Rugby Sevens Tier two tournament kicks off on Saturday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Of the two teams, Shujaa who are gunning for a return to the top tier competition which has been reserved for the best eight teams has a glimmer of hope to finish among the top four teams. They finished third in the opening two tournaments in Nairobi, Kenya and Montevideo, Uruguay.

At the start of the campaign, Shujaa’s technical bench had said the bottom line was to qualify for the championship by finishing among the top four. They are still on course but need to convincingly win the matches in Sao Paulo so as not to rely on the results from other teams.

Championship Qualifiers

Before the tournament in Sao Paulo, only three teams – the USA, Germany and Argentina had qualified for the championship. Shujaa have 32 points while the chasing pack are Uruguay (28), Canada (22), and Belgium (22). The minimum would be to qualify for the semi-final.

Kenya Lionesses have a much tougher task which is to win the tournament in Sao Paulo to have any realistic chances of making it for the championship. At about this time last year, Shujaa and Kenya Lionesses were on song while competing in the discontinued Challenger Series.

Before World Rugby pulled the rug under the feet of teams that lined up for the Challenger Series, they bravely battled through with Kenya Lionesses historically winning the overall title under Dennis Mwanja.

Pale Shadow

Since then, they have been a pale shadow of the team that finished top of the log especially by beating continental rivals South Africa three times. The three wins included two in South Africa and one in Los Angeles, California.

Kenya Lionesses shot themselves in the leg by recording narrow wins and losses in the opening tournament but were swept away in Montevideo where they finished bottom of the log despite upsetting the impressive Argentina.

Their first match will be against Argentina before they face South Africa and Spain on the opening day. On Sunday, Kenya Lionesses will be up against China and hosts Brazil.

Shujaa will renew their rivalry with Germany in the first match before tackling Belgium and Canada. On Sunday, Shujaa tackle the USA before winding up against Uruguay.

Sao Paulo draw and order of play

Women

Saturday, March 28, 2026: Spain v South Africa, Argentina v Kenya, China v Brazil, South Africa v Kenya, Spain v China, Argentina v Brazil, Spain v Kenya, Argentina v China, South Africa v Brazil, 

Sunday, March 29, 2026: China v Kenya, Argentina v South Africa, Spain v Brazil, South Africa v China, Argentina v Spain, Brazil v Kenya.

Standing: Argentina 40, South Africa 34, Spain 34, China 28, Brazil 22, Kenya 22.

Men

Saturday, March 28, 2026: Uruguay v Canada, Germany v Kenya, USA v Belgium, Kenya v Belgium, Germany v Uruguay, USA v Canada, Germany v Belgium, Kenya v Canada, USA v Uruguay, 

Sunday, March 29, 2026: Uruguay v Belgium, Germany v Canada, USA v Kenya, Canada v Belgium, Kenya v Uruguay, USA v Germany.Standing: USA 38, Germany 38, Kenya 32, Uruguay 28, Canada 22, Belgium 22.