South Africa open against Senegal as Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics sevens schedule confirmed

South Africa will face host nation Senegal in the opening round of the men’s competition at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics, as the full rugby sevens schedule for the Games — running from November 1 to 3 at CID Stadium — has been confirmed. It will mark the first time a Youth Olympics sevens tournament has been held in Africa, and the Blitzboks have never previously won a youth Olympic medal in the discipline.

Germany and Canada will kick off proceedings in the first men’s pool match at 10:30 am local time, before South Africa and Senegal take the field. Eight men’s teams are divided across two pools, with Pool B featuring the top three finishers from the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics — France, Japan and Argentina — alongside Uganda.

Argentina claimed gold in Buenos Aires, defeating France 24-14 in front of a home crowd, having lost the 2014 Nanjing final 45-22. Japan secured bronze that year, beating South Africa 28-5. The three sides meet again in Pool B, with Argentina and France scheduled to clash in the final pool match of the day — a fixture that could have significant bearing on semi-final positioning. Playoff matches are set for Monday afternoon, with the bronze and gold medal contests to follow that evening.

The women’s competition begins on Monday, with Australia the only participating nation to have previously won women’s sevens gold at the Youth Olympics. Reigning champions New Zealand are not involved. The Australians, drawn in Pool A alongside China, Kenya and Senegal, are headlined by NextGen Sevens graduates Darci Turinui, Cobi Ryan-Last and Layne Prince. Pool B features the United States, Spain, Czechia and Madagascar, with women’s medal matches scheduled for Tuesday.

USA Rugby Sevens prospect Luisa Moala, named as a co-captain of the American women’s squad, was confirmed this week as one of the two flag bearers for the Youth Olympics Opening Ceremony. Moala, who will compete alongside her sister Eseta, spoke about the weight of the occasion.

“When I put on the USA jersey, I’m not just wearing it for me, but for my family, everyone who has supported me back home, girls who are growing the game of rugby across the United States,” Moala said. “I’m representing my country and everything that comes with wearing that jersey.”

Playoff matches across both competitions will determine the medal lineups, with the gold medal contests bringing the sevens programme to a close on their respective final evenings.