Hong Kong qualifies for the Rugby World Cup for the first time

By Canadian Press on July 5, 2025.

INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — Hong Kong qualified for its first men’s Rugby World Cup after beating host South Korea 70-22 to win the Asia Championship on Saturday.

Hong Kong is only the second Asian team after Japan to reach the World Cup since rugby’s global showpiece commenced in 1987.

It booked a spot in the 2027 tournament, expanded to 24 teams for the first time.

“It is pretty overwhelming, and I am super proud of our group, our management and coaches and everyone involved,” captain John Hrstich said.

Hong Kong narrowly missed out on the 2019 and 2023 World Cups after reaching the final qualifying tournaments.

On Saturday, Hong Kong was too good for South Korea despite a 20-minute red card to center Ben Axten-Burrett just before halftime for head-on-head contact.

It also swept aside Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates to win the Asia Championship for a sixth straight time.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

The Associated Press