(CNN) Next season is set to be the biggest yet for the sport of rugby sevens, with new tournaments added to the annual championship.
The women's World Rugby Sevens Series is being expanded to include eight tournaments for the first time ever, with Dubai, Cape Town, New Zealand, Sydney, Paris, and Hong Kong -- the latter traditionally seen as the competition's premier destination -- all running parallel events for men and women.
Glendale, Colorado, and Langford, British Columbia, will both remain as standalone events in the women's competition, while the men's championship will retain the same 10-tournament structure for at least the next four years.
The host cities will remain the same for the men's series, except for the US leg of the tour -- which has been well-attended in Las Vegas for the past decade -- where the location for future events is yet to be announced.
More than 749,800 fans attended sevens tournaments around the world last season -- the shortened, fast-paced cousin of 15-aside rugby -- with the sport also boasting a live broadcast viewership of 12.6 million in 2017-18.
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America's growing love for rugby
The ever-increasing popularity of the Las Vegas Sevens is helping rugby to become one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States.
The 2017 event attracted record crowds to Sam Boyd Stadium for the seventh consecutive year with an attendance of 80,691 across the three days.
Like many sevens events around the world, Vegas inspires a party atmosphere with spectators coming in fancy dress.
The 2017 attendance was a slim increase on the previous year, which brought in 80,138, including these fans dressed as Elvis Presley.
The USA has enjoyed its best start to a sevens season this year, finishing runner-up at the first four tournaments.
Over 100,000 fans attended the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco, the best-attended rugby event ever in the USA.
In common with rugby's US sports rivals, cheerleaders play a big part in the entertainment schedule at Vegas -- which over the years has included Cirque Du Soleil and fighter jets. Here members of the USA Sevens Sweethearts perform during the 2015 tournament.
The 2016 tournament was broadcast on NBC and its Sports Network. It reportedly reached national and international audiences in over 400 million homes and 147 countries. Here a Samoan rugby fan supports his team in 2016.
A security guard chases a costumed fan after she ran on the pitch during the 2015 Cup Final match between Fiji and New Zealand.
It required two guards to finally bring the woman to the ground.
Security was busy that day, as this fan also invaded the pitch before Fiji beat New Zealand. It was the All Blacks' fourth successive defeat in Vegas finals.
This fan also took center stage during a 2014 match between the US and Spain.
Players get close to the crowds in Vegas. Here members of the Canadian team pose with fans following a 2014 match against Samoa.
US speedster Carlin Isles, who bagged a try in the 2018 final, is popular with the home supporters. Here he wears a cheese hat at the request of a fan taking his photo after a 2014 game.
"This is an exciting time for sevens as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is set to break new ground with more combined rounds than ever before on the circuit, as Cape Town, Hamilton and Hong Kong welcome women's world series teams for the first time," said World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont.
"We are delighted to see the women's series expand to eight rounds over the next four-year cycle, an historic move that will provide more high quality competitive international playing opportunities for women's sevens teams.
"Since the men's series' expansion to 10 rounds in 2015, we have seen the competition become increasingly competitive on the pitch from a team perspective while also continuing to grow in popularity among global audiences.
"We are looking forward to seeing continued growth and evolution of the world series in each territory over the next four years."
Olympic inclusion at the Rio Games has also benefited the growth of sevens, with teams this season vying for qualification at Tokyo 2020.
Rugby sevens round the world
Over 100,000 fans attended the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco.
The World Rugby Sevens Series will have another round for the women's competition in 2019 -- in Glendale, Colorado.
The men's series kicks off at the end of November in Dubai.
The next stop is Cape Town. South Africa is the defending champion after pipping Fiji for the title in the 10-round series.
The event then moves to Hamilton in New Zealand.
Australia is the defending women's champion.
The Las Vegas and Hong Kong legs are the only three-day events.
In May, the women's tour arrives in Langford, Canada.
The Hong Kong sevens has established a reputation for its vibrant fan atmosphere.
Singapore's National Stadium has a 55,000 capacity.
The 2019 series also welcomes Japan, who secured a place by winning the Hong Kong qualifier in April.
The penultimate destination is Twickenham in London.
The series comes to a close for both men and women in Paris, France.
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USA currently leads the men's series with four tournaments remaining having never previously won the overall championship.
New Zealand's Black Ferns are unbeaten in the first three tournaments of the women's series, meaning they are well-placed to win the title back from rival Australia when the season concludes in Paris.