Hong Kong beat South Korea 70-22 in Incheon on Saturday to win the Asia Rugby Championship and qualify for the World Cup for the first time.
The Hong Kong side has got to the last stage of qualifying for the last two World Cups only to fall short but will now take their place at the expanded 24-team showpiece tournament in Australia in 2027.
“There has been an enormous commitment from the team over the last 12 months,” head coach Andrew Douglas said in a statement.
“We are delighted with the improvements they made match by match… I’m particularly pleased with how the players stayed together as a group and how they held their nerve under pressure to come through a tough qualification decider away from home.”
The United Arab Emirates beat Sri Lanka 29-21 in Colombo on Friday to finish second in the championship and will play off against an African nation in July for a spot at the final World Cup qualification tournament.
Hong Kong are only the second team from Asia to get to the World Cup after Japan, who have already qualified after finishing third in their pool at the 2023 tournament in France.
