India Announce U-18 Boys and Girls Teams for Asia Rugby Emirates U-18 Sevens 2026 in Qingdao, China

September 3, 2026: India’s U-18 Boys and Girls Rugby Sevens teams are set to take on Asia’s leading Sevens nations at the Asia Rugby Emirates U-18 Sevens Championship, which will take place in Qingdao, China, on September 5-6. The squads were finalised after a rigorous national coaching camp that commenced on July 26 at KIIT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The championship will bring together 17 teams across the Boys and Girls categories, with nine teams competing in the Boys category and eight in the Girls category. 

The India U18 Boys have been drawn in Group A alongside last year’s finalists Hong Kong China, as well as Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Speaking ahead of the tournament, Head Coach Gray Cornelius said: “The boys have worked extremely hard over the past few weeks and have shown great commitment throughout the camp. They understand the responsibility that comes with representing India, and we are excited to see them put all that work into action in China.”

The India U18 Girls will compete in Group D, alongside Hong Kong China, UAE and Malaysia. The team will look to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish, after narrowly missing out on a podium finish following a defeat to Hong Kong China in the third-place playoff. Head Coach Kiano Fourie said: “This group has come together really well over the course of the camp. We’ve focused on connection, trust and better decision-making, and the girls have grown in confidence throughout the preparation. We believe they are ready to perform better than last year.”

Rugby India President Rahul Bose said, “These are the players who will go on to represent India at the senior level in the years to come. The Asia Rugby Emirates U18 Sevens Championship is an important opportunity for them to challenge themselves, give everything for the country and gain valuable experience at the international level. I trust both our teams to give their best and make India proud. ”

Fans can watch every match of the Asia Rugby Emirates U-18 Sevens 2026 live on Asia Rugby’s YouTube channel and on RugbyPass TV. 

Final Squads
U-18 Boys Team: Rohit Kumar (C), Ajit Nag (VC), Arun, Bajrangi Kumar, Eswar Pujari, Pankaj Sansi, Pawan Raj, Pranav Gavit, Priyanshu Mishra, Rahul Majhi, Ritesh Powar, Shubham Kumar

U-18 Girls Team: Saloni Kumari (C), Anita Murmu (VC), Aditi Londhe, Arti Kumari, Beauty Kumari, Dipali Tathe, Khameswari Majhi, Kirti Jadhav, Namrata Bhudiya, Simaran Parveen, Sumitra Murmu, Sushila

India’s Schedule:

September 5:

September 6: Knockout and classification stages.