Current season or competition: 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens | |
 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1993 (men) 2009 (women) |
| Number of teams | 24 (men) 16 (women) |
| Holders |  Fiji (men) (2022)  Australia (women) (2022) |
| Most titles |  New Zealand Fiji (men) (3 titles) New Zealand Australia (women)(2 titles) |
| Website | rwcsevens.com |
Rugby World Cup Sevens (RWCS) is the quadrennial world championship of rugby sevens, a variant of rugby union. Organised by World Rugby, it currently consists of men's and women's tournaments, and is the highest level of competition in the sport outside of the Summer Olympics.
The first tournament was held in 1993 in Scotland, and was won by England. The winners of the men's tournament are awarded the Melrose Cup, named after the Scottish town of Melrose where the first rugby sevens game was played.[1] A women's tournament was introduced at the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai, and was first won by Australia.
After the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens, the tournament took an extended, five-year hiatus to allow the integration of rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics into the competitive calendar. The 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens was held at Cape Town Stadium, in Cape Town, South Africa, with Fiji winning the men's tournament and Australia winning the women's tournament.
- ^ "Scotland 7s players Melrose bound - Scottish Rugby Union". Scottishrugby.org.