Overview
- Belgium, Brazil, Namibia and Samoa will play a round-robin at Dubai’s Sevens Stadium from November 8–18, with only the table winner qualifying for the 24-team tournament in Australia.
- Brazil vs Samoa opens the tournament on Saturday, followed by Belgium vs Namibia, with Australian official Jordan Way appointed as referee for the first match.
- Brazil were reinstated after Paraguay withdrew for fielding an ineligible player, overturning results from the South American play-offs.
- Samoa reached this stage after finishing last in Pacific qualifying and losing a play-off to Chile, while Namibia recovered from a shock loss to Zimbabwe by defeating the UAE to reach Dubai.
- Samoa vs Namibia on November 13 is widely viewed as the likely pivotal fixture, as Belgium and Brazil target a first-ever Men’s Rugby World Cup qualification.