Nile Special backs 2026 Uganda Rugby 7s series as six-stop season kicks off
David GOMBE
The Uganda Rugby 7s Series returns this weekend, with Nile Special once again backing one of the country’s biggest rugby competitions as the 2026 season gets underway with the Stone City 7s at Ruck Yard Sports Club.
The new season will feature 12 core men’s teams and eight core women’s teams competing across six stops around the country, culminating in the Kabaka Coronation 7s Grand Finale at Muteesa II Stadium, Wankulukuku, in September.
Running under the theme “Tukikube. Every Stop.”, the 2026 Series is set to take rugby beyond the capital while creating more opportunities for players, clubs and fans to participate in the game.
The six stops will take the competition through Kampala, Kyadondo, Gulu and Bugembe before returning to Kampala for the Grand Finale.
For Nile Special, the return of the 7s Series continues the brand’s longstanding association with Ugandan rugby and its commitment to creating platforms that bring fans together around the sport.
Speaking ahead of the opening weekend, Nile Special Brand Manager Eric Malinga said the partnership is about supporting both the competition on the pitch and the fan culture that has grown around Ugandan rugby.
“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 Series begins with the Stone City 7s on July 24–25 at Ruck Yard Sports Club, hosted by Hippos RFC. The opening stop will feature Friday evening rugby under floodlights before competition resumes on Saturday, building towards the men’s final at 5:00 PM.
From Stone City, the Series moves to the Rujumba 7s at King’s Park Arena on August 1–2, followed by the Kyadondo 7s at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds on August 22–23.
The competition will then head north for the Lawirwodi 7s in Gulu on August 29–30, before the Kyabazinga 7s in Bugembe on September 12–13. The season concludes with the Kabaka Coronation 7s at Muteesa II Stadium, Wankulukuku, on September 19–20, staged in partnership with the Buganda Kingdom.
The addition of the Lawirwodi 7s is particularly significant as Uganda Rugby continues to expand the national footprint of the sport and create stronger competitive structures outside Kampala.
Desire Derekford Mugumisa, Chairman of the Uganda Rugby Sevens Organising Committee, said the changes reflect an ambition to make competitive rugby more accessible across the country.
“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 changes intended to strengthen the pathway into top-level domestic rugby. The women’s core competition has expanded from six to eight teams, creating more playing opportunities and a bigger competitive platform for the women’s game.
Invitational teams at individual stops have also 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 stops followed by two Promotional Series.
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 pathway through which emerging clubs can earn their place at the highest level.