Rugby 101

The Olympic rugby competition (rugby sevens) includes a men’s and women’s tournament.

Mens Pool

The 12 participating teams are divided into three pools of four. Each team plays three preliminary matches, one against each opposing team in its pool. Wins are worth 3 points, draws are worth 2 points and losses are worth one point toward the preliminary rankings. 

Once all pool round matchups have transpired, the top 6 teams based on Pool Points in each group advance to the knockout stage, along with the best two third-place finishers. If teams are tied in ranking points, the first tiebreaker is the result of the head-to-head matchup between the tied teams. The top 8 teams will be ranked based on Pool Points and Point Differential.  

Knockout Stages

The single-elimination bracket begins with the quarterfinal round. Teams are seeded as follows:

Winners of the quarterfinals advance to the semifinals. Winners of the semifinals advance to the gold medal match, while losers of the semifinals play for bronze. Losers of the Cup Quarter final move the Plate Semi-Final, while losers of the Bowl Semi-Final move to the 11th Place Match.

Women’s Pool

The 8 participating teams are divided into two pools of four. Each team plays three preliminary matches, one against each opposing team in its pool. Wins are worth 3 points, draws are worth 2 points and losses are worth one point toward the preliminary rankings. 

Once all pool-round matchups have transpired, the top 4 teams move to the Cup Semi-Finals.

Knockout Stages

The single-elimination bracket begins with the quarterfinal round. Teams are seeded as follows: