Unions Cup
Unions Cup is an annual men's rugby union competition involving national and representative teams from Asia. The competition was established in 2024 and was initially contested by Singapore, Thailand and Chinese Taipei. The Philippines joined the competition in 2025.[1]
History
[edit]2024
[edit]The inaugural Unions Cup was held in Singapore from 29 June to 5 July 2024. It was contested by Singapore, Thailand and Chinese Taipei in a round-robin format.[1]
Singapore defeated Thailand 30–8 in the opening match. Thailand then defeated Chinese Taipei 18–12, before Chinese Taipei defeated Singapore 19–16 in the final match of the tournament.[2]
Singapore won the inaugural competition on points difference after all three teams finished with one win and one loss.[2]
2025
[edit]The 2025 edition was held in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei, on 9 and 12 July. Four teams participated: Singapore, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei and Thailand. The tournament consisted of two semi-finals followed by a third-place match and a final.[3]
The Philippines defeated Singapore 37–20 in the first semi-final, while Thailand defeated Chinese Taipei 20–19 in the second.[4]
In the third-place match, Chinese Taipei defeated Singapore 27–22. The Philippines then defeated Thailand 23–6 in the final to win the tournament at their first appearance.[5]
2026
[edit]The 2026 edition was held in Thailand from 12 to 18 July and expanded to eight teams. The participating teams were the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Laos and the Asian Barbarians.[6]
The opening matches saw the Philippines defeat Laos 74–0, Singapore defeat the Asian Barbarians 21–19, Malaysia defeat Thailand 30–27, and Chinese Taipei defeat Guam 45–14.[7]
In the Cup semi-finals, the Philippines defeated Singapore 33–10 and Malaysia defeated Chinese Taipei 42–29. In the placement semi-finals, the Asian Barbarians defeated Laos 71–20 and Thailand defeated Guam 21–20.[8]
In the finals, Guam defeated Laos 85–12 to finish seventh, Thailand defeated the Asian Barbarians 27–20 to finish fifth, and Chinese Taipei defeated Singapore 47–22 to finish third. In the final, the Philippines defeated Malaysia 39–18 to retain the title.[9][10]
Results
[edit]2024
[edit]The inaugural tournament was played as a round-robin competition in Singapore.
| Date | Phase | Team | Result | Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 June 2024 | Round-robin |  Singapore |
30–8 |  Thailand |
Jurong West Stadium, Singapore |
| 2 July 2024 | Round-robin | Thailand |
18–12 |  Chinese Taipei |
Jurong West Stadium, Singapore |
| 5 July 2024 | Round-robin | Singapore |
16–19 | Chinese Taipei |
Jurong West Stadium, Singapore |
Singapore won the tournament on points difference after all three teams finished with one win and one loss.
2025
[edit]The tournament was expanded to four teams and played in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei. The competition used a knockout format.
| Date | Phase | Team | Result | Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 July 2025 | Semi-final |  Philippines |
37–20 | Singapore |
Kaohsiung National Stadium, Kaohsiung |
| 9 July 2025 | Semi-final | Chinese Taipei |
19–20 | Thailand |
Kaohsiung National Stadium, Kaohsiung |
| 12 July 2025 | Third-place match | Chinese Taipei |
27–22 | Singapore |
Kaohsiung National Stadium, Kaohsiung |
| 12 July 2025 | Final | Philippines |
23–6 | Thailand |
Kaohsiung National Stadium, Kaohsiung |
Champions: Philippines
2026
[edit]The 2026 tournament was expanded to eight teams and was played in Bangkok, Thailand. The teams were divided into two pools, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the Cup semi-finals.
Champions: Philippines
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Four Asian Unions Sign On For Unions Cup 2024 To Develop XVs Rugby". RugbyAsia247. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Singapore Men Win Inaugural Unions Cup 2024". RugbyAsia247. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ "Unions Cup 2025 Opening Round Preview". RugbyAsia247. 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ "Unions Cup 2025 Match 1 Review - Philippines Volcanoes Overpower Singapore". RugbyAsia247. 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ "Philippines Men Crowned Unions Cup 2025 Champions". RugbyAsia247. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ "Unions Cup 2026 Tournament and Team Preview Guide". RugbyAsia247. 2026. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ "Unions Cup 2026 Matchday 1 Reviews". RugbyAsia247. 13 July 2026. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ "The Philippines and Malaysia Head To Unions Cup 2026 Final". RugbyAsia247. 16 July 2026. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ "Asian International Rugby Tournaments 2026". RugbyAsia247. 2026. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ "Italy drop out of top 10 in World Rugby Men's Rankings". World Rugby. 20 July 2026. Retrieved 20 September 2026.