​Men’s international rugby is getting a fresh look with the introduction of the Nations Championship, a competition designed to reshape the July and November Test windows. The format will see Six Nations nations take on the four Rugby Championship sides, alongside Japan and Fiji, across six matches that will be evenly split between the two months. The outcome of these fixtures will determine seedings for the finals weekend at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, where six matches over two days will decide both team and hemisphere bragging rights, with silverware up for grabs on both sides.
Each team will face the corresponding qualifier from the other pool to determine overall placings at the end of a busy year of international action. Here is the full competition schedule and an explanation of how it will operate. The Nations Championship was announced during the 2023 Rugby World Cup and will run every two years, replacing the traditional summer tours and the Autumn Nations Series. Its aim is to add context and structure to the international calendar, inviting Fiji and Japan to join the Six Nations and Rugby Championship sides to form a top 12. In time, promotion and relegation is planned via a second-tier competition called the Nations Cup, though this will not be introduced in 2026.
Participants are divided into two hemispheres: Northern Hemisphere—France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, England, and Wales; Southern Hemisphere—South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Australia, Fiji, and Japan. The inaugural finals weekend is scheduled for Twickenham on the last weekend of November (27–29). Over three days of double-headers, the top Six Nations side will meet the top qualifier from the opposite pool, followed by the next-best from the other group, continuing in this order down the standings. The winner of the marquee match will lift the first Nations Championship trophy, while the hemisphere that secures more final results will also be crowned. In the finals, the 1st vs 1st clash is worth two points, with all other matches awarding one point each.
Viewers in the United Kingdom will have access to every game on ITV, following a free-to-air broadcasting deal. The competition also includes a set of recent results to illustrate the level of competition and the kind of matchups to expect, such as New Zealand edging France 34-32 and Japan defeating Italy 27-10, with a number of other tight results across fixtures involving England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and South Africa.
The schedule includes a series of high-profile matches across various international venues, reflecting the global nature of the Nations Championship. For instance, New Zealand will host Ireland in Auckland, Japan will play France in Tokyo, Australia will face Italy in Perth, Fiji will meet Scotland in Edinburgh, and South Africa will take on Wales in Durban. Argentina will travel to Chile to play England, with matches continuing into a busy November period. The calendar shows a mix of weekend and midweek fixtures, designed to maximize visibility and context for the international calendar.
This new format is designed to deliver meaningful competition, broadening the pool of top teams, and providing a clearer pathway for teams to contend for honors across both hemispheres. It also aims to offer fans a compelling, year-long series of intercontinental clashes, culminating in a decisive finals weekend that will determine the inaugural Nations Championship winner and crown the strongest team across the combined hemispheres.