Sri Lanka’s Under-18 boys and girls rugby sevens teams have been placed in the playoffs for fifth and sixth positions following a difficult opening day at the Asia Rugby Emirates U18 Sevens 2026 tournament in Qingdao, China.

The boys’ team finished third in Pool A, securing a single victory—a 12-0 win over India—but suffering defeats against Hong Kong (24-7) and Malaysia (22-7). The girls’ squad experienced a tougher outing in Pool C, losing all three matches. Their campaign began with a heavy 71-0 loss to China, followed by a 25-5 defeat against Uzbekistan. The team concluded pool play with a narrow 17-12 loss to Kazakhstan, placing fourth in the group.

On the second day of the competition, the Sri Lanka girls will face India at 7:45 a.m. Sri Lanka time, while the boys are scheduled to take on Uzbekistan at 9:25 a.m. Both fixtures determine placement in the semi-finals for the fifth and sixth positions in the tournament standings.

The early results highlight challenges for the Sri Lankan youth teams in competing against stronger regional opponents as they aim to improve their performance in the concluding rounds of the event.