2026 NEW YEAR’S DAY YOUTH RUGBY TOURNAMENT

The historic New Year’s Day Rugby Youth Tournament reaches its 58th edition in 2026, in an expanded format that sees eight matches played back-to-back at Hong Kong Football Club. 

Fans can enjoy almost 11 hours of youth rugby showing Hong Kong’s most exciting age-grade rugby talent – with many young stars of previous tournaments having gone on to proudly pull on the Men’s and Women’s Hong Kong China jerseys in both 7s and 15s, with some alumni also representing other unions at international level.

Attendance at Hong Kong Football Club on New Year’s Day is free of charge. Members of the public can access the venue via the Hong Kong Jockey Club entrance to Happy Valley.

For those unable to attend, all matches will be streamed live – and available to watch back – on the Hong Kong China Rugby YouTube channel.

As in 2025, four Hong Kong Dragons vs Overseas Lions matchups will see the best players based in Hong Kong taking on their counterparts who are based overseas. These matches are played at U16 Girls (Naylor Wright Cup), U16 Boys (White Trophy), U19 Girls (Lassies Quaich) and U19 Boys (Middlesex Cup). 

New for 2026, a U14 Boys and a U14 Girls match will be played, giving younger players the chance to be part of the magic of New Year’s Day rugby in Hong Kong. Teams will be made up of players from clubs on Hong Kong Island taking on players from clubs on the Peninsula. Two additional showcase matches will be played at Boys U16 and Boys U18, allowing more players in the most competitive categories the chance to play – these will also be contested between players from clubs on Hong Kong Island and clubs on the Peninsula. 

Full Match Schedule

9AM | Match 1: Island U14 Girls vs Peninsula U14 Girls*
10:10AM | Match 2: Island U14 Boys vs Peninsula U14 Boys*
11:20AM | Match 3. Hong Kong Dragons U16 Girls vs Overseas Lions U16 Girls
12:40PM | Match 4. Island U16 Boys vs Peninsula U16 Boys (Showcase Match)*
2PM | Match 5. Hong Kong Dragons U16 Boys vs Overseas Lions U16 Boys
3:20PM | Match 6. Island U18 Boys vs Peninsula U18 Boys (Showcase Match)*
4:55PM | Match 7. Hong Kong Dragons U19 Girls vs Overseas Lions U19 Girls
6:25PM | Match 8. Hong Kong Dragons U19 Boys vs Overseas Lions U19 Boys
7:50PM | Trophy Presentation

*New fixture for 2026

The Digital Programme for the 2026 New Year’s Day Tournament will be available shortly, with teams announced below.