RICHMOND HILL, Ont. (Nov. 1, 2026) – U SPORTS announced the seedings and bracket for the 2026 U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship to be hosted by the University of Guelph. The tournament gets underway on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and concludes the following Sunday, Nov. 8.
Championship web site: https://en.usports.ca/championships/2026-27/2026-27_Rugby/index
The eight participating teams, listed in seeding order, are as follows:
- #1, Queen's Gaels, OUA champions (5-1 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
- #2, Victoria Vikes, CW champions (5-0, 2-0)
- #3, Laval Rouge et Or, RSEQ champions (6-0, 2-0)
- #4, Guelph Gryphons, OUA finalists/hosts (6-0, 1-1)
- #5, Ottawa Gee-Gees, RSEQ finalists (5-1, 1-1)
- #6, Acadia Axewomen, AUS champions (5-1, 1-0)
- #7, Brock Badgers, OUA bronze medallists (4-2, 2-1)
- #8, UBC Thunderbirds, CW finalists (3-2, 1-1)
Teams are seeded at the championship based on their relative position in the Elo ranking system, with the additional requirements that conference champions be seeded no lower than No. 6, and that conference finalists not meet in the first round.
Seven of the eight teams are return participants from the 2025 event in Vancouver. The only new entrant is Brock, who are making their first appearance at the national championship. On the other side, the host Gryphons are making their record-tying 25th appearance at the event.
The four quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday at Guelph's Alumni Stadium. Action starts at 11 a.m. (all times Eastern) with Acadia taking on Laval, followed by Brock facing Victoria at 1:30 p.m. and Queen's taking on UBC at 4 p.m. The day will close with RSEQ finalists Ottawa facing tournament hosts, Guelph, at 6:30 p.m.
Game Day 2 is set for Friday, Nov. 6, and will see consolation games at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with the semifinals set to follow at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
The final day will be Sunday, Nov. 8 and will start with the fifth-place game at 11 a.m., followed by the bronze-medal game at 1:30 p.m. and the championship at 4 p.m.
Tickets for the event are currently on sale at www.usportstickets.ca.
All 11 games of the championship will be broadcast on CBC digital platforms in English, and on Radio-Canada digital platforms and usports.ca in French.
