Twelve elite national teams will debut the inaugural Nations Championship on July 4, 2026, marking a major restructuring of the international rugby calendar into a northern versus southern hemisphere tournament.
The competition brings together six European teams from the Six Nations against six teams from the southern hemisphere group across six rounds of play in July and November.
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The northern group consists of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales, while the southern group features Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Commercial and Broadcast Deals
A combined commercial venture by the Six Nations and SANZAAR unions expects to generate approximately £500 million from the first two editions in 2026 and 2028, as reported by The Guardian.
Television rights have already been secured, with ITV purchasing the United Kingdom broadcast rights for around £90 million and TF1 securing the rights for France.
The scheduling includes unique neutral-venue agreements where several of Fiji's designated home matches will take place in European cities, such as playing Wales in Cardiff, England in Liverpool, and Scotland in Edinburgh.
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Similarly, Japan will host Italy and France in Tokyo, but their fixture against Ireland is scheduled to take place in Newcastle, Australia.
The tournament structure rewards wins on the undercard with one point and the first-placed final victory with two points, crowning the first hemisphere to reach four points as the overall champion.
The opening round on July 4, 2026, features New Zealand against France in Christchurch, Japan against Italy in Tokyo, Australia against Ireland in Sydney, Fiji against Wales in Cardiff, South Africa against England in Johannesburg, and Argentina against Scotland in Córdoba.
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Following the initial three rounds in July and three subsequent rounds in November, the competition will conclude with a Finals Weekend at the Allianz Stadium in London from November 27 to 29, 2026.
