Victory in the European Games final will guarantee a spot at Paris 2024
GB Sevens and Ireland men face each other in the European Games sevens final tonight in a straight shoot-out for a place at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
GB beat Spain 19-7 in the semi-finals to secure their progression to the showpiece match in Krakow, while Ireland booked their spot after brushing aside Portugal 24-0.
For the first time ever, a rugby Olympic qualification event is taking place within a wider multi sport event and the GB women are also in with a shout of nailing down their spot at Paris 2024 after making it to the final.
Read more: GB Sevens game halted as posts trapped in banner
Cup Final time 🏆
Both Great Britain teams have made cup finals here in Kraków and will play for a chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics 🔥
The Women play Poland at 20:05 UK Time and will be directly followed by the Men who play Ireland at 20:35 #PushingTheBoundaries pic.twitter.com/Uj4AVdZFDI
— GB Rugby Sevens (@GBRugbySevens) June 27, 2023
GB Ireland Olympic Games qualification match
However, they had to overcome a bizarre hurdle after the posts got trapped in a banner during their semi-final win over Belgium. The women will play Poland at 8.05pm UK time for a spot at the Olympic Games.
Next up it is the turn of the men at 8.35pm when Great Britain will be looking to overturn the form book after finishing a spot behind rivals Ireland in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series. Ireland finished eighth, taking second in Dubai, while GB could only manage ninth with no podium finishes across the entire season.
How to watch GB v Ireland sevens
You can watch both the matches for FREE on europeangames.tv.
It is the first year that GB have competed as a single entity in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series rather than just at the Olympic Games. Previously, England, Scotland and Wales all had individual teams that toured the globe.
A ticket to Paris 2024 is on the line! 🇫🇷
Ireland Men's Sevens go head-to-head with Great Britain in the European Games Final in Krakow at 8.35pm ⬇️#Ireland7s | @TeamIreland
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) June 27, 2023
However, for the side that loses out in the final, it is not necessarily the end of the road for their Olympic dreams. The top two teams per gender from this tournament will move forward to the Final Olympic Repechege Tournament where they will battle it out with the top two remaining ranked sides from every other continent (Africa, Asia, North America, Oceania and South America).
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