It all began almost as a student joke.

“The aim was to put on a party tournament, organised by students, for top-level university teams.” This is 2005, at École Centrale Paris. Six students, a PE teacher, a pitch wedged between buildings. The idea is simple. Play, host, share.

Nobody imagined then that this tournament would become, twenty years later (13 and 14 May 2026 at the Stade de la Peupleraie in Orsay), an international benchmark in sevens. Because the project grew fast. Almost too fast.

At the start, the entries were university teams. Then, gradually, the standard rose. “The tournament evolved… towards teams that are more semi-professional, with national representative sides“, explains Roméo Hermary, communications manager at Centrale.

The DNA changes without betraying itself. The Centrale Sevens becomes a meeting point. Between knowledgeable amateurs and elite players.

The numbers tell the story of that rise. More than 300 teams hosted since it began, around thirty nationalities, several thousand players.

Internationals and Olympic champions on the pitch

On the pitch, some names stand out. Internationals, Olympic champions, emerging talents who use the tournament as a springboard.

But deep down, nothing really changes. The spirit remains a student one.

Today, around fifty of them carry the project. “A 100% student-run organisation“, the team insists. An anomaly in an increasingly professionalised game. Here, everything is home-made. Logistics, hospitality, communications, partnerships.

Centrale Sevens 2026: an international line-up in Orsay

And yet, the field is impressive.

In 2026, more than twenty teams are expected, from several continents. New Zealand, United States, South Africa. “A team from New Zealand, a team from Fiji, a South African team… it’s a great line-up“, they say with satisfaction. If anything, that is an understatement.

Because the Centrale Sevens has become a crossroads. A place where styles meet. Where Pacific rugby runs into European rugby. Where military representative sides come up against student squads.

The format has a lot to do with it.

Sevens: fast, spectacular, easy to read. “It’s a sport in vogue… more dynamic, more accessible.” The matches come thick and fast, the teams rotate, the crowd follows.

In the university world, it has even become the obvious choice. “Student tournaments are the sevens tournaments.” Easier to organise, easier to understand, more festive.

And above all, better suited to a generation that consumes sport differently.

But reducing the Centrale Sevens to a mere tournament would be a mistake. Because behind the matches, there is a project.

For the past few years, the association has widened its scope. A partnership with the French Rugby Federation, work in clubs, academic tutoring, involvement in priority neighbourhoods.

Beyond the tournament: an incubator for social engagement

“We provide academic tutoring for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds through the clubs“, Hermary explains. Rugby as a social tool. Here again, faithful to its values.

The team is adamant. “More than a competition, the C7 is an incubator of opportunities and connections“.

On the pitch, the party goes on.

Two days of competition, 250 players, more than 1,000 spectators, some sixty volunteers. A village, a bar, entertainment. An atmosphere that spills well beyond the sporting frame.

“A crazy atmosphere around the pitches“, the brochure promises. And it is not just a slogan. The Centrale Sevens is lived as much as it is played.

What strikes you, in the end, is that fragile balance. Between amateurism and excellence. Between rigour and celebration. Between sport and commitment.

Every year, new patrons come on board. Jérôme Daret, Chloé Pelle, Jonathan Laugel, for 2026… Recognised figures who lend the event a little more legitimacy.

But without ever distorting it. Because at heart, the Centrale Sevens remains true to its original idea: a rugby tournament. Organised by students. For players. And for the fun of it.

“Passion, sharing and excellence“, is how the project sums itself up.

Twenty years on, the formula still holds. And in Orsay, for one weekend, world rugby still speaks with a student accent.

Practical information

What — 20th edition of the Centrale Sevens, a semi-professional sevens tournament organised by CentraleSupélec students.

When — Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 May 2026.

Where — Stade de la Peupleraie, 60 rue Léon Croc, 91400 Orsay.

The line-up in numbers

  • 250 players, men and women
  • 5 continents represented
  • 60 volunteers
  • More than 1,000 visitors expected

The patrons of the 2026 edition

  • Jérôme Daret, head coach of the France sevens team
  • Chloé Pelle, silver medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
  • Jonathan Laugel, France international from 2012 to 2024

How to follow the event

  • Official website: centrale7.fr
  • Mobile app: available on the App Store and Play Store
  • Instagram & Facebook: @centralesevens
  • LinkedIn: @centrale 7