Cyprus Men’s Rugby Sevens Team Wins Bronze Medal at Rugby Europe Conference 1 2026

Cyprus Rugby Federation
3 hours ago
2 min read

The Cyprus Sevens squad with their bronze medals

The Cyprus Rugby Federation is pleased to announce that the Cyprus Men’s National Rugby Sevens Team secured 3rd place and the bronze medal at the Rugby Europe Conference 1 2026 tournament, held in Andorra.

Cyprus Excels with Impressive Performances

Rugby Europe Conference 1 is the third tier of European Rugby Sevens competition and is organised annually by Rugby Europe, the governing body for rugby across Europe. This year's tournament featured nine participating nations: Israel, Austria, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Andorra, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia and Finland.

The Cypriot delegation consisted of 12 players and 3 members of coaching and support staff. Preparation for the tournament included two intensive training camps over the past month, as well as participation in two international preparation tournaments in London and Milan.

Cyprus delivered an outstanding performance throughout the competition, recording victories against:

Finland: 47-10
Serbia: 33-7
Austria: 26-19
Luxembourg: 17-12 (3rd Place Play-Off)

The team’s only defeats came against Luxembourg during the pool stages and against Israel in the semi-final, with Israel eventually going on to win the tournament and secure promotion. The semi-final score of 28-17 reflected a highly competitive contest and demonstrated Cyprus' ability to challenge the strongest teams in the competition.

Rugby Europe Sevens Conference 1 men’s final rankings poster on green background, with Israel 1st, Austria 2nd, Cyprus 3rd.

Exceeding Expectations with a Bronze Medal Finish and Eyeing Promotion

The Federation and coaching staff had initially set a target of reaching the semi-finals. Not only was this objective achieved, but it was exceeded through the team's bronze medal finish and genuine contention for promotion to the Rugby Europe Trophy, the second tier of European Rugby Sevens.

Particularly noteworthy was Cyprus' victory over Luxembourg in the bronze medal match. Luxembourg entered the tournament as one of the favourites to win the competition, having been relegated from the second tier only a year earlier. Defeating such a strong opponent further highlights the progress and competitiveness of the Cypriot programme.

This result represents another significant milestone in the continued development of the Cyprus Rugby Sevens programme. In 2024, Cyprus won the Rugby Europe Conference 2 tournament in Montenegro to secure promotion to Conference 1. In 2025, during its first season at this level, the team successfully retained its place in the competition. In 2026, Cyprus took another major step forward by competing strongly for promotion and ultimately securing a bronze medal finish.

Cyprus Rugby Builds Momentum with Strong Performance and Future Promise

The Cyprus Rugby Federation is extremely satisfied with both the performance and the outcome achieved by the national team. This success is the result of the commitment and hard work of the players, coaches, support staff and everyone involved in the development of rugby in Cyprus. The steady improvement demonstrated over recent seasons is clear evidence that the programme is progressing in the right direction and building a strong foundation for future success.

Looking ahead, the Federation considers the Rugby Sevens programme to be developing very successfully and remains optimistic about future opportunities. The progress achieved this year provides strong encouragement as preparations begin for next season's Rugby Europe Conference 1 campaign and the forthcoming Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE).