Bahrain and Lebanon claim inaugural titles as 11 nations unite to reshape Middle Eastern rugby

Bahrain Men and Lebanon Women claimed the inaugural titles of the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy – West & Central competition in Aqaba, Jordan, on a weekend that carried as much significance off the pitch as on it.

The tournament’s first edition coincided with the formal signing of a memorandum of understanding between 11 Middle Eastern nations, officially recognised by Asia Rugby. The agreement established the West Asia Rugby Alliance (WARA), a new sub-regional body modelled on existing entities in South East Asia and Central and South Asia, designed to expand both men’s and women’s rugby across the Middle East.

WARA’s membership spans Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. The alliance has outlined plans for a series of regional competitions in the coming years, including a three-team XVs tournament hosted by Saudi Arabia featuring Lebanon and Syria, and a similar fixture in Bahrain involving Jordan and Qatar. A broader regional sevens competition in Qatar, open to all 11 member nations, is also in development.

Winners of the three regional tournaments — covering West, South East and Central/South Asia — will qualify for the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series, which itself serves as the pathway to the HSBC SVNS Series circuit.

Asia Rugby President Qais Al Dhalai, who attended the MoU signing alongside CEO Benjamin van Rooyen, underlined the structural importance of the agreement. “When unions plan a regional calendar together, more teams have the opportunity to compete regularly, and more unions have the opportunity to host competitions,” Al Dhalai said. “This is important for the development of both men’s and women’s rugby across West Asia. It also creates opportunities for coaches, match officials and administrators to share knowledge, gain experience and strengthen the game across the region.”

Abdallah Jammal, Asia Rugby Executive Committee Member and Coordinator of the WARA Management Team, set out the immediate roadmap. “In 2027, we plan to bring six unions together for XV competitions in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, followed by a regional sevens competition in Qatar,” he said. “Having three unions host competitions gives more members a direct role in delivering the programme and provides more teams with opportunities to compete.”

The development follows CASA staging its own first-ever sevens tournament earlier in 2026, pointing to a rapid expansion of rugby’s footprint across the Asian continent. With governance structures, competitive pathways and hosting commitments now in place across multiple sub-regions, the foundations for sustained growth appear more concrete than at any previous point.