Asia Rugby has officially confirmed the final match schedule for the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2026, Asia’s premier men’s 15s competition and a key pathway on the Road to Rugby World Cup qualification.
The revised schedule follows changes to the tournament due to the ongoing regional conflict, which created significant logistical and operational challenges for the competition and resulted in the UAE being unable to participate in this year’s tournament.
Asia Rugby Chairperson of the Competitions Committee, Asanga Seneviratne, reaffirmed Asia Rugby’s commitment to ensuring the successful delivery of the competition despite the challenging circumstances.
“While it is unfortunate that the tournament schedule has been impacted by the ongoing regional situation, Asia Rugby fully understands the exceptional circumstances involved,” said Seneviratne.
“We would like to thank all participating unions, host unions, match officials, and partners, including Emirates, for their continued support and cooperation throughout this process. The Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship remains an important platform for the growth of elite rugby in Asia, and we look forward to an exciting series featuring Hong Kong China, Korea, and Sri Lanka.”
According to Asia Rugby Competitions Manager Ghaith Jalajel, Asia Rugby worked closely with all unions to explore multiple scheduling and hosting contingency plans following the disruption caused by the ongoing conflict.
“The ongoing regional situation created a number of logistical and operational challenges for all stakeholders involved in the competition,” said Jalajel.
“Travel disruptions and limited preparation time affected the original tournament arrangements, and Asia Rugby carefully reviewed multiple contingency options together with the participating unions before confirming the final revised schedule.”
Despite the changes, the Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship 2026 will continue with three important fixtures featuring Hong Kong China, Korea, and Sri Lanka, as teams compete for regional honours and valuable international ranking points.
Final Match Schedule
AREMC Game 1
Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong China
Racecourse Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sunday, 24 May 2026
Kick-off: 15:00 Local Time
AREMC Game 2
Hong Kong China vs Korea
Hong Kong Football Club, Hong Kong SAR
Sunday, 7 June 2026
Kick-off: 16:30 Local Time
AREMC Game 3
Korea vs Sri Lanka
Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium, Incheon, Korea
Saturday, 13 June 2026
Kick-off: 15:00 Local Time
Asia Rugby remains committed to delivering a high-performance international competition that showcases the continued growth and competitiveness of rugby across the continent.
Asia Rugby Emirates Competitions Calendar 2026
The Asia Rugby Emirates Men’s Championship continues to play a critical role in the development of elite rugby in Asia while strengthening the pathway towards future Rugby World Cup qualification cycles.
Fans will be able to follow the action across Asia Rugby digital platforms, with further broadcast and match information to be announced shortly.
