2026 is a landmark year for Rugby, with the debut of the Nations Championship.
Fierce cross-hemisphere rivalries will be put on the global stage when the tournament kicks off later this year, with international rugby fixtures across the globe in July and November, on the way to the blockbuster Nations Championship Finals Weekend in London.
View the full Nations Championship fixture schedule and register for Finals Weekend information
The new competitive tournament format injects jeopardy and more meaning into every fixture, where a winning team will be crowned tournament Champion, and the dominant Hemisphere in the sport for that year will be decided.
To recap the tournament format, teams competing, how points will be won throughout the July and November fixtures, to dictate group standings and Finals Weekend head-to-heads, and how a winning team and hemisphere will be decided, a short explainer covers everything you need to know:
- The Nations Championship is a new international rugby tournament that transforms the existing July and November windows into a competitive cross hemisphere format every two years, outside a Rugby World Cup and Lions Tour year.
- It features 12 of the strongest nations in rugby with two groups of six teams. The Six Nations teams will form a European group representing the Northern Hemisphere, and take on the SANZAAR nations, plus Japan and Fiji, who form a group nominally representing the Southern Hemisphere.
- In July, the Northern Hemisphere group of teams will travel to play three rounds of fixtures, with every team playing a different rival from the opposing Hemisphere group.
- In November, the Southern Hemisphere group will travel north for the remaining three rounds.
- Points are on offer across the July and November windows, to then dictate the table standings per Hemisphere group and inform the schedule of fixtures for the Nations Championship Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium in London. It's four points for a win, two for a draw, with bonus points for four tries or losing by seven points or less
- The Finals Weekend will see each side face off against their respective ranked team. The No.1 ranked team in the Northern Hemisphere group play the No.1 ranked team in the Southern Hemisphere group in the final to decide the inaugural Nations Championship winner at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
^all dates AEDT
Saturday July 4
New Zealand v France, One NZ Stadium, Christchurch (5:10 pm)
Japan v Italy, Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo (6:40 pm)
Australia v Ireland, Allianz Stadium, Sydney (8:10 pm)
Fiji v Wales, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff (11:10 pm)
Sunday July 5
South Africa v England, Ellis Park, Johannesburg (1:40 am)
Argentina v Scotland, Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba (5:10 am)
Saturday July 11
New Zealand v Italy, Hnry Stadium, Wellington (3:10 pm)
Australia v France, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (5:40 pm)
Japan v Ireland, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle (8:10 pm)
Fiji v England, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool (11:10 pm)
Sunday July 12
South Africa v Scotland, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (1:40 am)
Argentina v Wales, Estadio Bicentenario, San Juan (5:10 am)
Saturday July 18
New Zealand v Ireland, Eden Park, Auckland (5:10 pm)
Japan v France, MUFG Stadium, Tokyo (6:40 pm)
Australia v Italy, HBF Park, Perth (8:10 pm)
Fiji v Scotland, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh (11:10 pm)
Sunday July 19
South Africa v Wales, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban (1:40 am)
Argentina v England, Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero (5:10 am)
Saturday November 7
Ireland v Argentina, Aviva Stadium, Dublin (7:10 am)
Italy v South Africa, Allianz Stadium, Turin (10:40 pm)
Sunday November 8
Scotland v New Zealand, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh (1:10 am)
Wales v Japan, Principality Stadium, Cardiff (3:40 am)
France v Fiji, Groupama Stadium, Lyon (7:10 am)
Monday November 9
England v Australia, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (2:10 am)
Saturday November 14
France v South Africa, Stade de France, Saint-Denis (7:10 am)
Italy v Argentina, Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa (10:40 pm)
Sunday November 15
Wales v New Zealand, Principality Stadium, Cardiff (1:10 am)
England v Japan, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (3:40 am)
Ireland v Fiji, Aviva Stadium, Dublin (7:10 am)
Monday November 16
Scotland v Australia, Scottish Gas Stadium, Edinburgh (2:10 am)
Round Six
Sunday November 22
England v New Zealand, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (1:10 am)
Scotland v Japan, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh (1:10 am)
Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium, Dublin (3:40 am)
Italy v Fiji, Bluenergy Stadium, Udine (3:40 am)
France v Argentina, Stade de France, Saint-Denis (7:10 am)
Wales v Australia, Principality Stadium, Cardiff (7:10 am)
*All games double-headers at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Saturday 28 November
Sixth placed North v Sixth placed South (3:40 am)
Third placed North v Third placed South (7:10 am)
Saturday 29 November
Fifth placed North v Fifth placed South (12:10 am)
Second placed North v Second placed South (3:40 am)
Monday 30 November
Fourth placed North v Fourth placed South (12:10 am)
First placed North v First placed South (3:40 am)
