The Nations Championship is a new biennial rugby competition featuring 12 top-tier teams from the northern and southern hemispheres. Created by Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR, the tournament integrates traditional summer and autumn tests into a structured league format, concluding with a grand final at Twickenham in November 2026.
What is the Nations Championship?
The Nations Championship is a structured international tournament designed to replace standalone summer and autumn tests with a competitive league. According to Rugby World, the competition brings together 12 of the world’s leading rugby nations, split evenly between the northern and southern hemispheres.
The participating teams include the six Six Nations sides—England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales—and the four Rugby Championship teams—New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina. To round out the 12-team field, Fiji and Japan join as invitational teams, with Japan categorized in the southern hemisphere group for tournament purposes.
How does the tournament format work?
The competition divides teams into two groups: “Europe” (the northern hemisphere) and “Rest of the World” (the southern hemisphere). Rather than touring a single country, teams face three different opponents in each international window.
- July Window: European teams travel south to play three matches against “Rest of the World” opponents.
- November Window: “Rest of the World” teams travel to Europe for reciprocal fixtures.
By the end of the November window, every team will have played every opponent from the opposing group once. For example, England is scheduled to play South Africa, Fiji, and Argentina away in July, followed by home matches against Australia, Japan, and New Zealand in November.
When and where are the 2026 matches?
The 2026 schedule is split across two primary windows, avoiding years with Rugby World Cups or British & Irish Lions tours.
- Southern Hemisphere Fixtures: Saturday, July 4 to Saturday, July 18, 2026.
- Northern Hemisphere Fixtures: Friday, November 6 to Saturday, November 21, 2026.
- Finals Weekend: Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29, 2026.
While most July games occur in the south, some “home” fixtures for Fiji will take place in the UK. Fiji Rugby chairman John Sanday stated that playing in the UK provides an “economic windfall” that the union will invest back into high-performance facilities. This decision follows the fact that Fiji’s HFC Bank Stadium in Suva does not meet the 25,000-capacity requirement for the championship. Consequently, Fiji will “host” matches at Cardiff City Stadium, Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium, and Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
How is the winner decided?
The tournament concludes with a Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, from November 27 to 29. The format mirrors the football Nations League, where match results from the July and November windows determine the final standings.
Every team participates in a finals game against the opponent who finished in the same position in the opposite group. The overall champion is decided on November 29, when the first-place finisher from the Europe group faces the first-place finisher from the Rest of the World group in the grand final.
Why is Ireland playing Japan in Australia?
Despite Japan being a home team in the southern group, their match against Ireland will take place at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, NSW, on July 11. This marks the first neutral Test in Australia since the pandemic.
Japan coach Eddie Jones criticized the arrangement on the Rugby Unity podcast, claiming Ireland holds significant political power at World Rugby. Jones argued that the match should have been in Tokyo but was moved to Australia to reduce travel requirements for the Irish squad.
Where can fans watch the Nations Championship?
Broadcasting rights vary by region, with several European markets offering free-to-air access.
| Region | Broadcaster | Access |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ITV | Free |
| Ireland | Virgin Media | Free |
| France | TF1 | Free |
| Australia | Nine Network / Stan Sport | Mixed (Free/Paid) |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Paid |
| South Africa | SuperSport | Paid |
| Italy | Sky Italia | Paid |
| Japan | Wowow | Paid |
What is the Nations Cup?
Concurrent with the main championship, a second-tier competition called the Nations Cup features 12 other teams, all of whom have qualified for the 2027 World Cup. These teams are split into two pools:
- Pool A: Canada, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, Uruguay, and USA.
- Pool B: Georgia, Hong Kong, Portugal, Spain, Romania, and Zimbabwe.
Unlike the Nations Championship, the Nations Cup has no finals day; the team at the top of the table is declared the winner. World Rugby has stated that promotion and relegation between the Nations Cup and the Nations Championship are not currently in place, though stakeholders may consider introducing them starting with the 2030 edition.
All matches in both the Nations Championship and Nations Cup contribute to the official World Rugby rankings.