The Pumas Sevens, bronze medallists at Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), are aiming to climb higher up the podium and sing the Argentine anthem at the Paris 2024 podium ceremony.

Before Paris, there's Madrid, and everyone present knows it. From 31 May to 2 June, the final will be held at the Civitas Metropolitano, in the charming Rosas neighbourhood of the San Blas-Canillejas district of the Spanish capital, with a capacity of 70,460.

Yesterday, the traditional family photo was taken with the 32 captains gathered at Madrid's Royal Palace, one of the largest in Western Europe and the world.

Many international rugby stars are in Spain for the last global event before the Olympic Games, including France's Antoine Dupont, Ireland's Hugo Keenan, New Zealand's Portia Woodman and England's Ellie Kildunne.

"We know that this tournament, like the Olympics, is the last of the season and honestly, forgetting a bit about what happened before, it will be very important for us to grow in the game again and feel connected on the pitch," Argentine star Rodrigo Isgró told Olympics.com.

Meanwhile, Argentina captain Santi Álvarez Fourcada, who played at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, described it as "a bit unfair" to be playing for the title in the final after topping the standings after the seven tournaments of the season.

"The goal here in Madrid is clearly to win the title. I think we have been working very well, performing well in tournaments and we are confident and in good shape to win in Madrid and end this season the way we want to," insisted the captain, who led his team to victories at the Sevens in Cape Town, South Africa, Perth, Australia and Vancouver, Canada.

Argentina will start in Group A alongside Australia, Great Britain and France, led by their star captain Antoine Dupont, the emblematic captain of the French XV rugby team who converted to Sevens in a bid to win an Olympic medal.

Dupont recently won the Champions Cup with Stade Toulousain and has been released by his club, who have already secured a place in the semi-finals of the Top 14 (French championship) with two rounds remaining.

Sixth in the standings, Les Bleus are well behind Argentina and Ireland in first and second respectively, but will be hoping to spring a surprise and win the world title by taking advantage of the new format, which gives a chance to teams that have not had a great season.

Les Bleus won one of the seven stages this season, in Los Angeles last March, after 19 years without success.

"Winning gold (in Los Angeles) sends a message to everyone," said coach Jerome Daret. "France is a bit more intimidating, we are capable of competing with anyone," he added.

The Argentinians are the top seed in Group A and will be paired with Great Britain, France and Australia. Group B is made up of Ireland, Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa. Each team will play three matches, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals in search of gold.

Argentina are the favourites to win the title in Madrid. However, their two main rivals will be in Group B: Ireland, who finished second, two points behind Argentina, and New Zealand, historically the strongest team in Rugby Sevens. In the women's competition, the Oceanians will be the favourites after finishing top of the rankings.

There will also be teams fighting to avoid relegation. There will also be a group stage, but this time it will be used to determine their opponents, as the top team from each pool will meet the bottom team from the remaining group in Sunday's play-off, and so on.

Match schedule

Friday, 31 May

14:14 New Zealand v Fiji (Group B)

14:37 Ireland v South Africa (Group B)

19:05 Australia v France (Group A)

19:28 Argentina v Great Britain (Group A)

Saturday 1 June

12:44 New Zealand - South Africa (Group B)

13:06 Ireland v Fiji (Group B)

15:49 Fiji v South Africa (Group B)

16:11 Ireland v New Zealand (Group B)

17:27 Australia v Great Britain (Group A)

17:51 Argentina v France (Group A)

20:55 France vs. Great Britain (Group A)

21:17 Argentina v Australia (Group A)

Sunday 2 June

12:21 Semi-finals

12:45 Semi-final

19:18 Third-place play-off

20:26 Final

Match times will be published in the host city's time zone, Madrid.