The Kenya Shujaa and the Kenya Lionesses, will begin their respective journeys towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games with multiple opportunities to secure qualification, following the confirmation of the Olympic qualification pathway by World Rugby.
With the backing of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) through the LA28 Scholarship Programme, both teams are focused on making the most of the qualification window as they target a return to the Olympic stage in Los Angeles.
LA28 will feature 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams, with each qualified National Olympic Committee entitled to select a squad of 12 players.The qualification race will begin during the HSBC SVNS 2027 season, which kicks off in Dubai in November 2026 and concludes in Bordeaux in May 2027.
Shujaa and Lionesses targeting SVNS qualification
The most direct route to LA28 for Kenya will be through the HSBC SVNS 2027 Championship standings.The top four eligible teams in both the men’s and women’s competitions, excluding hosts USA, will secure Olympic qualification based on their final SVNS 2027 standings.
For Shujaa and the Lionesses, this presents an opportunity to secure their Olympic places early by finishing among the four highest-ranked eligible teams at the end of the 2027 SVNS season.The qualification race will add greater significance to every tournament on the 2027 calendar, with Kenya looking to build on its performances on the global sevens circuit and consistently collect the points required to remain in contention for a top-four finish.
Africa provides another route to Los Angeles
Should either Kenyan team miss out on direct qualification through the SVNS standings, the road to Los Angeles will continue through the regional qualification pathway.
Six regional qualification tournaments will be held across the second half of 2027, with one men’s and one women’s Olympic qualification place available through each of World Rugby’s six regional associations, including Africa.
For Kenya, the Africa regional qualifier will therefore provide another opportunity for Shujaa and the Lionesses to book their places at LA28.The teams will need to navigate the African qualification competition successfully and finish as the continent’s representative to secure the available Olympic quota place.
One final opportunity through the Repechage
The Olympic dream will remain alive even for teams that do not qualify through either the SVNS Championship or their regional qualifier.
The final men's and women's Olympic places will be determined at the Olympic Repechage in June 2028, providing one last opportunity for Kenya to earn a place in Los Angeles.For Shujaa and the Lionesses, the qualification pathway therefore offers three potential routes to LA28: a top-four finish in the HSBC SVNS 2027 standings, winning the African regional qualification tournament, or progressing through the Olympic Repechage.
With the support of NOC-K through the LA28 Scholarship Programme, the focus for Kenya’s sevens teams will be on preparing early, building consistency and ensuring that every competition contributes towards the ultimate objective.
For Shujaa, who have represented Kenya at previous Olympic Games, qualification would provide another opportunity to compete on the world’s biggest sporting stage. For the Lionesses, the campaign represents an equally important opportunity to secure Kenya’s place in the women’s Olympic sevens competition.With the race beginning in the 2026/27 season, every tournament, every point and every performance will count.
