Everything you need to know about the new Nations Championship including fixtures, format, competing teams and more
The Nations Championship is the newest competition in men’s international rugby, and it kicks off in just a few weeks time.
The new bi-annual tournament is designed to add an extra competitive element to summer and autumn internationals, while helping to align the global rugby calendar.
The Nations Championship will feature the six European teams in the Six Nations (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales), the four Rugby Championship sides (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina), and Fiji and Japan
Matches will take place in July and November place in years when there’s no Rugby World Cup or British & Irish Lions tour.
Fixtures will be played across the southern and northern hemispheres in July and November, with the finals taking place at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham from 27 to 29 November.
Below you’ll find everything you need to know about the new competition, including helpful FAQs, every Nations Championship 2026 fixture, and confirmed playing squads for July’s fixtures.
Nations Championship 2026: Key information
– Dates: Saturday 4 July – Sunday 29 November, 2026
– Participating teams: Argentina, Australia, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Wales
– TV rights: ITV hold the UK broadcasting rights. Virgin Media will be the tournament’s official broadcaster in Ireland.
Read more: What does ITV’s new rugby deal mean for me as a fan?
Everything you need to know about the Nations Championship
What is the Nations Championship?
The Nations Championship is a biennial international tournament featuring 12 teams – six from the northern hemisphere and six from the southern hemisphere. (For the purposes of the tournament, Japan have been placed in the south.)
The tournament has been created by Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR.
Which teams are competing?
The Six Nations sides (England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Wales), the four Rugby Championship teams (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina), plus two invitational teams in Japan and Fiji.
When will the games be played?
The Nations Championship will take place in years when there is no Rugby World Cup or British & Irish Lions tour. The competition is designed to “enhance the existing July and November international windows within the rugby calendar”.
What is the format of the new competition?
Instead of the traditional summer tours where teams would tour a single country, northern hemisphere sides will face three different opponents. The Six Nations teams form the ‘Europe’ group and the southern hemisphere sides are known as the ‘Rest of the World’. In July, the European teams head south to play their three games and in November the Rest of the World make the reciprocal visit to Europe.
Across both the July and November blocks, a team will play every side in their opposing group. For example, this summer England will play South Africa, Fiji and Argentina away. In the autumn, they will play Australia, Japan and New Zealand at home.
Why are some games taking place in the northern hemisphere in July?
Fiji have sacrificed home advantage to take part in the championship. The country’s rugby ground in Suva, HFC Bank Stadium, doesn’t meet competition requirements and can only hold around 15,000 people.
When Scotland played there last summer, losing 29-14, there were only 12,000 fans in attendance – well short of the 25,000 capacity that the Nations Championship demands.
Instead, Fiji will play Wales in Cardiff, although not at the Principality Stadium but at the Cardiff City Stadium, home of both Cardiff City FC and the Welsh national football team. They will then face England at Everton FC’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium in what will be the first rugby fixture to take place at the venue. Fiji will then ‘host’ Scotland at Scottish Gas Murrayfield to round off their opening three fixtures.
Fiji Rugby chairman John Sanday says playing home games in the UK was something Fiji couldn’t turn down due to the “economic windfall” it will bring.
“It’s a transformational opportunity for us,” he said. “Never before would we have been able to have this kind of revenues… which we then can invest back into our facilities and high performance.”
How do you win the new competition? Where will the finals be?
The point of the tournament is to unify traditional standalone summer and autumn Tests. It’s similar to what happened in football with the Nations League, which was created to add more meaning to previous friendly matches.
After the last three rounds of the Nations Championship in November, there is a Finals Weekend in London at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham from Friday 27 November to Sunday 29 November.
Every team will have a ‘Finals game’ against the team that finished in the same position as them in the corresponding group. For example, if Wales finish fifth in the Europe/North group, they will face the fifth-place finisher in the South group.
The winners of the competition will be crowned on 29 November when the first-place finishers of the North and South groups meet in the grand final.
To buy match tickets, fans should go through the usual host union channels. An adult ticket for all three days of the Finals Weekend starts at £242 or you can buy a ‘Support Your Team’ ticket, covering both games played that day, for £164.80. See the Nations Championship website for the various options available.
Why are Ireland not travelling to Japan to play the Brave Blossoms?
Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed in the Nations Championship fixtures below that Ireland will face Japan in Australia in July.
Andy Farrell’s men will take on the Brave Blossoms at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, NSW on Saturday 11 July. The fixture will be the first neutral Test to be staged in Australia since the pandemic. The venue last saw international action in 2025 when the Wallabies beat Fiji.
Japan coach Eddie Jones is unhappy that the fixture against Ireland is taking place in Australia. “You know why we’re playing Ireland in Newcastle? Ireland have all the power at World Rugby,” Jones said on the Rugby Unity podcast. “So we have to play our home game, that should be in Tokyo, in Australia to make sure Ireland don’t have to travel too much – let’s be frank about it.
“We have to just suck it up and that’s what happens when you’re not a major political power at the table.”
Ireland will play Australia in Sydney the week before they face Japan, before moving on to New Zealand.
What about the other international teams?
Outside the main championship, another 12 sides will compete in the second-tier Nations Cup which takes place concurrently. The first batch of matches take place across the Americas this summer.
The teams taking part have been split into two pools and all 12 have qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Pool A (Americas and Pacific) comprises Canada, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, Uruguay and USA. Pool B (Europe, Africa and Asia) comprises Georgia, Hong Kong, Portugal, Spain, Romania and Zimbabwe.
Each team plays three Tests in each window, but unlike in the Nations Championship there is no Finals day, so the team topping the table will take the plaudits. If teams are level on points, teams will be separated first by number of wins, and then by points difference.
Will there be promotion and relegation between the Nations Championship and Nations Cup?
Not currently. World Rugby has said that all stakeholders will look at potentially introducing this from the 2030 edition onwards.
Will the Nations Championship Tests count towards the world rankings?
Yes, just like normal summer and autumn Tests, the games will contribute to the rankings. South Africa are currently the world’s number one team, ahead of New Zealand, Ireland and France.
Nations Championship 2026 broadcasters
Broadcasters for the new competition are as follows:
- UK: ITV (free-to-air)
- Ireland: Virgin Media Television (free-to-air)
- France: TF1 (free-to-air)
- Australia: Stan Sport (subscription) (Wallabies home games free-to-air on Nine network)
- New Zealand: Sky Sport (subscription)
- South Africa: SuperSport (subscription)
- Italy: Sky Italia (subscription)
- Japan: Wowow (subscription)
Nations Championship 2026 fixtures
Southern hemisphere fixtures
Round 1
Saturday 4 July 2026
- New Zealand v France
One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 8.10am BST / 9.10am CET / 9.10am SAST / 5.10pm AEST / 7.10pm NZST / 3.10am EDT / 12.10am PDT
- Japan v Italy
Tokyo Chichibuomiya Stadium, Tokyo
Kick-off: 9.40am BST / 10.40am CET / 10.40am SAST / 6.40pm AEST / 8.40pm NZST / 4.40am EDT / 1.40am PDT - Australia v Ireland
Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 11.10am BST / 12.10pm CET / 12.10pm SAST / 8.10pm AEST / 10.10pm NZST / 6.10am EDT / 3.10am PDT - Fiji v Wales
Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Kick-off: 2.10pm BST / 3.10pm CET / 3.10pm SAST / 11.10pm AEST / 1.10am NZST (Sunday) / 9.10am EDT / 6.10am PDT
- South Africa v England
Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 4.40pm BST / 5.40pm CET / 5.40pm SAST / 1.40am AEST (Sunday) / 3.40am NZST (Sunday) / 11.40am EDT / 8.40am PDT
- Argentina v Scotland
Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba
Kick-off: 8.00pm BST / 9.00pm CET / 9.00pm SAST / 5.00am AEST (Sunday) / 7.00am NZST (Sunday) / 3.00pm EDT / 12.00pm PDT
Round 2
Saturday 11 July 2026
- New Zealand v Italy
Hnry Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 6.10am BST / 7.10am CET / 7.10am SAST / 3.10pm AEST / 5.10pm NZST / 1.10am EDT / 10.10pm PDT (Friday) - Australia v France
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 8.30am BST / 9.30pm CET / 9.30pm SAST / 5.30pm AEST / 7.30pm NZST / 3.30am EDT / 12.30am PDT - Japan v Ireland
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, Australia
Kick-off: 11.00am BST / 12.00pm CET / 12.00pm SAST / 8.00pm AEST / 10.00pm NZST / 6.00am EDT / 3.00am PDT - Fiji v England
Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, England
Kick-off: 2.10pm BST / 3.10pm CET / 3.10pm SAST / 11.10pm AEST / 1.10am NZST (Sunday) / 9.10am EDT / 6.10am PDT - South Africa v Scotland
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 4.40pm BST / 5.40pm CET / 5.40pm SAST / 1.40am AEST (Sunday) / 3.40am NZST (Sunday) / 11.40am EDT / 8.40am PDT
- Argentina v Wales
Estadio San Juan de Bicentenario, San Juan
Kick-off: 8.00pm BST / 9.00pm CET / 9.00pm SAST / 5.00am AEST (Sunday) / 7.00am NZST (Sunday) / 3.00pm EDT / 12.00pm PDT
Round 3
Saturday 18 July 2026
- Japan v France
National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo
Kick-off: 9.40am BST / 10.40am CET / 10.40am SAST / 6.40pm AEST / 8.40pm NZST / 4.40am EDT / 1.40am PDT
- New Zealand v Ireland
Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 8.10am BST / 9.10am CET / 9.10am SAST / 5.10pm AEST / 7.10pm NZST / 3.10am EDT / 12.10am PDT - Australia v Italy
HBF Park, Perth
Kick-off: 11.00am BST / 12.00pm CET / 12.00pm SAST / 8.00pm AEST / 10.00pm NZST / 6.00am EDT / 3.00am PDT
- Fiji v Scotland
Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland
Kick-off: 2.10pm BST / 3.10pm CET / 3.10pm SAST / 11.10pm AEST / 1.10am NZST (Sunday) / 9.10am EDT / 6.10am PDT
- South Africa v Wales
Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 4.40pm BST / 5.40pm CET / 5.40pm SAST / 1.40am AEST (Sunday) / 3.40am NZST (Sunday) / 11.40am EDT / 8.40am PDT
- Argentina v England
Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero
Kick-off: 8.00pm BST / 9.00pm CET / 9.00pm SAST / 5.00am AEST (Sunday) / 7.00am NZST (Sunday) / 3.00pm EDT / 12.00pm PDT
Northern hemisphere fixtures
Round 4
Friday 6 November 2026
- Ireland v Argentina
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 8.10pm GMT / 9.10pm CET / 10.10pm SAST / 7.10am AEDT (Saturday) / 9.10am NZDT (Saturday) / 3.10pm ET / 12.10pm PT
Saturday 7 November 2026
- Italy v South Africa
Allianz Stadium, Turin
Kick-off: 12.40pm GMT / 1.40pm CET / 2.40pm SAST / 11.40pm AEDT / 1.40am NZDT (Sunday) / 7.40am ET / 4.40am PT - Scotland v New Zealand
Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 2.10pm GMT / 3.10pm CET / 4.10pm SAST / 1.10am AEDT (Sunday) / 3.10am NZDT (Sunday) / 9.10am ET / 6.10am PT
- Wales v Japan
Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 4.40pm GMT / 5.40pm CET / 6.40pm SAST / 3.40am AEDT (Sunday) / 5.40am NZDT (Sunday) / 11.40am ET / 4.40am PT
- France v Fiji
Groupama Stadium, Lyon
Kick-off: 8.10pm GMT / 9.10pm CET / 10.10pm SAST / 7.10am AEDT (Sunday) / 9.10am NZST (Sunday) / 3.10pm ET / 12.10pm PT
Sunday 8 November
- England v Australia
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 3.10pm GMT / 4.10pm CET / 5.10pm SAST / 2.10am AEDT (Monday) / 4.10am NZDT (Monday) / 10.10am ET / 7.10am PT
Round 5
Friday 13 November 2026
- France v South Africa
Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 8.10pm GMT / 9.10pm CET / 10.10pm SAST / 7.10am AEDT (Saturday) / 9.10am NZST (Saturday) / 3.10pm ET / 12.10pm PT
Saturday 14 November 2026
- Italy v Argentina
Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
Kick-off: 11.40am GMT / 12.40pm CET / 1.40pm SAST / 10.40pm AEDT / 12.40am NZDT (Sunday) / 6.40am ET / 3.40am PT - Wales v New Zealand
Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 2.10pm GMT / 3.10pm CET / 4.10pm SAST / 1.10am AEDT (Sunday) / 3.10am NZDT (Sunday) / 9.10am ET / 6.10am PT
- England v Japan
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 4.40pm GMT / 5.40pm CET / 6.40pm SAST / 3.40am AEDT (Sunday) / 5.40am NZDT (Sunday) / 11.40am ET / 8.40am PT
- Ireland v Fiji
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 8.10pm GMT / 9.10pm CET / 10.10pm SAST / 7.10am AEDT (Sunday) / 9.10am NZST (Sunday) / 3.10pm ET / 12.10pm PT
Sunday 15 November 2026
- Scotland v Australia
Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 3.10pm GMT / 4.10pm CET / 5.10pm SAST / 2.10am AEDT (Monday) / 4.10am NZDT (Monday) / 10.10am ET / 7.10am PT
Round 6
Saturday 21 November 2026
- England v New Zealand
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 2.10pm GMT / 3.10pm CET / 4.10pm SAST / 1.10am AEDT (Sunday) / 3.10am NZDT (Sunday) / 9.10am ET / 6.10am PT
- Scotland v Japan
Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2.10pm GMT / 3.10pm CET / 4.10pm SAST / 1.10am AEDT (Sunday) / 3.10am NZDT (Sunday) / 9.10am ET / 6.10am PT
- Ireland v South Africa
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 4.40pm GMT / 5.40pm CET / 6.40pm SAST / 3.40am AEDT (Sunday) / 5.40am NZDT (Sunday) / 11.40am ET / 8.40am PT
- Italy v Fiji
Bluenergy Stadium, Udine
Kick-off: 5.40pm GMT / 6.40pm CET / 7.40pm SAST / 4.40am AEDT (Sunday) / 6.40am NZDT (Sunday) / 12.40pm ET / 9.40am PT - France v Argentina
Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 8.10pm GMT / 9.10pm CET / 10.10pm SAST / 7.10am AEDT (Sunday) / 9.10am NZDT (Sunday) / 10.10am ET / 7.10am PT - Wales v Australia
Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 8.10pm GMT / 9.10pm CET / 10.10pm SAST / 7.10am AEDT (Sunday) / 9.10am NZDT (Sunday) / 10.10am ET / 7.10am PT
Finals weekend
Friday 27 November 2026
- Northern Hemisphere 6 v Southern Hemisphere 6
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: TBC - Northern Hemisphere 3 v Southern Hemisphere 3
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: TBC
Saturday 28 November 2026
- Northern Hemisphere 5 v Southern Hemisphere 5
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: TBC - Northern Hemisphere 2 v Southern Hemisphere 2
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: TBC
Sunday 29 November 2026
- Northern Hemisphere 4 v Southern Hemisphere 4
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: TBC - Northern Hemisphere 1 v Southern Hemisphere 1
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: TBC
Nations Championship 2026 squads
The squads for all 12 participating teams will be updated when they are announced in the coming days.
Argentina
Head coach: Felipe Contepomi
Nations Championship squad TBA.
Australia
Head coach: Les Kiss
Nations Championship squad TBA.
England
Head coach: Steve Borthwick
Nations Championship squad TBA.
Fiji
Acting head coach: Senirusi Seruvakula
Forwards:
Levani Botia, Elia Canakaivata, Tim Hoyt, Tevita Ikanivere, Sam Matavesi, Eroni Mawi, Temo Mayanavanua, Isoa Nasilasila, Tevita Ratuva, Peni Ravai, Kitione Salawa, Atunaisa Sokobale, Pita-Gus Sowakula, Luke Tagi, Lekima Tagitagivalu, Zuriel Togiatama, Mesake Vocevoce, Peceli Yato
Backs:
Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, Filimoni Botitu, Vinaya Habosi, Vuate Karawalevu, Simione Kuruvoli, Frank Lomani, Caleb Muntz, Semi Radradra, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Selestino Ravutaumada, Salesi Rayasi, Josua Tuisova, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Sam Wye
France
Head coach: Fabien Galthié
Nations Championship squad TBA.
Ireland
Head coach: Andy Farrell
Forwards:
Tadhg Beirne, Billy Bohan, Thomas Clarkson, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Sam Illo, Cormac Izuchukwu, Sean Jansen, Ronan Kelleher, Jeremy Loughman, Joe McCarthy, Darragh Murray, Tom O’Toole, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Tom Stewart, Nick Timoney, Josh van der Flier
Backs:
Bundee Aki, Rob Baloucoune, Harry Byrne, Craig Casey, Nathan Doak, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O’Brien, Tommy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Sam Prendergast, Garry Ringrose, Jacob Stockdale
Italy
Head coach: Gonzalo Quesada
Nations Championship squad TBA.
Japan
Head coach: Eddie Jones
Forwards:
Jack Cornelsen, Tiennan Costley, Warner Dearns, Hayate Era, Ben Gunter, Esei Haangana, Mamoru Harada, Harry Hockings, Yota Kamimori, Michael Leitch, Takato Okabe, Sojiro Otsuka, Waisake Raratubua, Kenji Sato, Kanji Shimokawa, Michael Stolberg, Izi Sword, Keijiro Tamefusa, Shuhei Takeuchi
Backs:
Inoke Burua, Yuya Hirose, Takuro Hojo, Kippei Ishida, Ryunosuke Ito, Itsuki Kamimura, Haruto Kida, Shinya Komura, Takuro Matsunaga, Shogo Nakano, Dylan Riley, Naoto Saito, Samisoni Tua, Kazuma Ueda, Shunsuke Uenobo, Haruto Watanabe
New Zealand
Head coach: Dave Rennie
Nations Championship squad TBA.
Scotland
Head coach: Gregor Townsend
Forwards:
Ewan Ashman, Josh Bayliss, Magnus Bradbury, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey, Freddy Douglas, Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson, Jonny Gray, Gregor Hiddleston, Will Hurd, Nathan McBeth, Liam McConnell, Elliot Millar Mills, D’arcy Rae, Alex Samuel, Pierre Schoeman, Seb Stephen, Rory Sutherland, Max Williamson
Backs:
Fergus Burke, Jamie Dobie, Darcy Graham, George Horne, Rory Hutchinson, Tom Jordan, Stafford McDowall, Kyle Rowe, Finn Russell, Ollie Smith, Kyle Steyn, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White
South Africa
Head coach: Rassie Erasmus
Nations Championship squad TBA.
Wales
Head coach: Steve Tandy
Squad will be cut after Barbarians match on 27 June.
Forwards:
Adam Beard, Rhys Barratt, Liam Belcher, James Botham, Ben Carter, Rhys Carre, Olly Cracknell, Ryan Elias, Kane James, Dafydd Jenkins, Harrison Keddie, Dewi Lake, Dillon Lewis, Alex Mann, Jac Morgan, Taine Plumtree, Tommy Reffell, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Freddie Thomas, Sam Wainwright, Aaron Wainwright, Ben Warren, Teddy Williams, Ryan Woodman
Backs:
Josh Adams, Ellis Bevan, Bryn Bradley, Sam Costelow, Dan Edwards, Jarrod Evans, Mason Grady, Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Kieran Hardy, Joe Hawkins, Eddie James, Max Llewellyn, Ellis Mee, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Blair Murray, Louis Rees-Zammit, Joe Roberts, Tom Rogers, Ben Thomas, Tomos Williams
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