The Kenya Lionesses side has moved closer to realising their dream of a maiden HSBC World Rugby Series qualification.

The Lionesses on Friday, April 11, 2025, secured their place in the challenger series play-offs despite enduring a 28-12 loss to Thailand in the closing rounds of the Rugby Seven Challengers series in Krakow, Poland.

The clash was Kenya’s second group tie ahead of a final group match against Colombia.

Kenya kicked off the Challenger Series this Friday with a convincing 12-0 victory over Belgium to continue their winning run heading into the third series.

The victory confirmed Kenya’s status among the top four teams with the most cumulative points gained across the three rounds thus advancing to the playoffs.

Kenya Lionesses have qualified for the playoffs, taking place in LA, early next month, giving them a chance to fight for the HSBC slot 👏 #Lionesses #SafaricomRugby #MpesaPowersKenya7s pic.twitter.com/nyH6FaQRwO

— Kenya Rugby (@OfficialKRU) April 11, 2025

The Lionesses approached the series from an unbeaten streak, winning the first two legs of the test in Cape Town South Africa.

The side claimed the first championship of the Cape Town Seven Challenger after edging Argentina 17- 12 in the finals on Sunday, March 3, 2025.

They replicated the impressive showing in the second finals, beating South Africa to complete a dream campaign from the two legs.

In Krakow’s opener against Belgium, the Lionesses rode on the two tries from Sinaida Mokaya to edge the European rivals.

A tricky tie against Thailand however snapped the Ladies’ march on a 22-12 defeat.

Los Angeles play-offs

Dennis Mwanja’s coached side now shift gears to the high-stakes playoffs in Los Angeles with hopes of a first ever appearance to the rugby seven series in sight.

The make-or-break play-off for Kenya will be staged in Los Angeles on May 3-4.

The Challenger was introduced in February 2020 to boost the development of rugby sevens across the globe. The short format of the game has experienced huge growth over the past two decades since the introduction of the global sevens series and becoming an Olympic sport at the Rio 2016 Games.