Kenya Morans will be the sole East African representatives at the 2026 Africa Men’s Sevens Series after organisers confirmed an eight-team field for the rescheduled continental tournament in Mauritius.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe competition will take place from Saturday, 3 to Sunday, 4 October 2026. Kenya will be joined by hosts Mauritius, South Africa, Namibia, Madagascar, Egypt, Burkina Faso and Réunion.The eight-team field is a reduction from the 12 nations initially scheduled to compete in June before the tournament was postponed because of public health concerns linked to the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa.Three LA28 Olympics qualification pathways available for Shujaa and LionessesUganda, who had initially been included, will not feature in the rescheduled tournament, leaving Kenya as the only team from the East African region.The Morans will head to Mauritius looking to improve on their fourth-place finish at the 2025 Africa Men’s Sevens, where they came agonisingly close to securing a podium finish.Kenya enjoyed an impressive start to the 2025 campaign, sweeping their group with three victories. They opened with a commanding 36-0 win over Ivory Coast before defeating Ghana 33-0 and edging regional rivals Uganda 12-5 to finish top of their pool.22.00: (1.95) Como (3.50) RB Leipzig (3.90)They carried that momentum into the main cup quarterfinals, where they produced another dominant display to thrash Nigeria 43-12, with Jackson Siketi and Dennis Abukuse among the players who got on the scoresheet.However, their title challenge came unstuck in the final two matches.The Morans suffered a narrow 14-12 defeat to Madagascar in the semifinals after surrendering a lead, sending them into the third-place playoff.Details of Christie 7s' new trophy unveiled to mark 60th anniversary [PHOTOS]They looked set to finish on the podium after establishing a 19-7 lead against Zimbabwe, but again failed to close out the contest as Zimbabwe fought back to win 21-19.The result left Kenya fourth overall, while South Africa emerged as the 2025 Africa Men’s Sevens champions after defeating Madagascar in the final.The timing of the continental tournament could also work in Kenya’s favour, with the Africa Men’s 7s coming immediately after the conclusion of the National Sevens Circuit.22.00: (1.10) Bayern (10.0) Bodo (16.0)The circuit has given the Morans' technical bench an extended opportunity to assess players in competitive action before finalising the squad for Mauritius.That could give Kenya additional depth heading into the continental championship, particularly as the technical team weighs experienced campaigners against players who have impressed during the domestic circuit.The Morans will therefore arrive in Mauritius not only seeking to improve on last year's fourth-place finish but also with the possibility of having a squad strengthened by the standout performers from the domestic sevens season.KCB’s Elvis Olukusi reveals how he earned Monaco Rugby Sevens opportunityThe tournament was originally scheduled for Saturday, 20 to Sunday, 21 June at the SPARC Complex in Cascavelle, but was postponed following consultations between Rugby Africa, the Mauritius Rugby Union, Mauritian government authorities and World Rugby amid the evolving public health situation.
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