The Nations Championship 2026 is rugby union’s first attempt at a truly global, calendar-spanning competition, pitting the six Six Nations countries against the Rugby Championship’s four sides plus Fiji and Japan across two international windows before a first-of-its-kind Finals Weekend at Twickenham. Twelve teams, two conferences, one trophy — and after the July fixtures wrapped up on Saturday, half the picture is already in place.
With the Southern Series concluding this weekend and the Northern Series not kicking off until November, this is a good moment to explain exactly how the competition works, who is involved, and what is still to be decided before the Grand Final at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on 29 November.
What Is The Nations Championship?
The Nations Championship is a new biennial international rugby union competition, first proposed by World Rugby in 2023 and launched for the first time in July 2026. It brings together twelve of the sport’s leading nations — England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales from the Six Nations, plus Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa from the Rugby Championship, alongside Fiji and Japan — in a structured, cross-hemisphere league that runs across the July and November Test windows.
Rather than the usual mix of standalone summer tours and autumn internationals, every match now counts towards a single table, with the competition culminating in a dedicated Finals Weekend rather than being spread across scattered one-off fixtures.
World Rugby members voted through the details of the competition back in October 2023, with the stated aim of giving context to Test matches that had previously existed largely in isolation from one another. Instead of a southern hemisphere side arriving in Europe each November for a set of unconnected one-off Tests, or a northern hemisphere union sending a weakened squad on a summer tour, every fixture in the July and November windows now feeds directly into where a team finishes on Finals Weekend.
How Does The Format Work?
The twelve teams are split into two conferences of six: a Northern Hemisphere conference made up of the Six Nations sides, and a Southern Hemisphere conference made up of the four Rugby Championship nations plus Fiji and Japan. Crucially, teams only play opposition from the other conference during the six league rounds — England do not face France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland or Wales at this stage, for example, and Argentina do not play Australia, New Zealand or South Africa.
Each side plays all six teams from the opposite conference once across the two windows — three matches at home, three away — with Southern Hemisphere nations hosting the July fixtures and Northern Hemisphere nations hosting the November ones. Fiji are the exception: all three of their “home” matches in this cycle are being played in Great Britain rather than in the Pacific.
Standard World Rugby league points apply: four points for a win, two for a draw and none for a loss, with bonus points awarded for scoring four or more tries and for losing by eight points or fewer. A separate cumulative north-versus-south trophy is also being contested alongside the individual conference tables.
Who Are The 12 Teams?
The two conferences are fixed for this cycle, split strictly along Six Nations and Rugby Championship lines, with Fiji and Japan completing the Southern group.
| Northern Hemisphere Conference | Head Coach |
|---|---|
| England | Steve Borthwick |
| France | Fabien Galthié |
| Ireland | Andy Farrell |
| Italy | Gonzalo Quesada |
| Scotland | Gregor Townsend |
| Wales | Steve Tandy |
| Southern Hemisphere Conference | Head Coach |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Felipe Contepomi |
| Australia | Joe Schmidt (succeeded by Les Kiss during 2026) |
| Fiji | Senirusi Seruvakula (acting) |
| Japan | Eddie Jones |
| New Zealand | Dave Rennie |
| South Africa | Rassie Erasmus |
What Is The Full 2026 Schedule?
The competition runs across two windows in its first year. The Southern Series ran from Saturday 4 July to Saturday 18 July, with the Rugby Championship nations, Fiji and Japan hosting the Six Nations sides. The Northern Series follows from Friday 6 November to Saturday 21 November, when the Six Nations countries host the return fixtures.
Fiji’s fixtures are the one quirk in the “home nations host” rule. Rather than staging matches in the Pacific, all three of Fiji’s “home” Tests this cycle are being played in Great Britain — at Cardiff City Stadium, Liverpool’s Hill Dickinson Stadium and Murrayfield — reflecting both broadcast logistics and Fiji’s substantial UK-based fanbase.
Everything is then decided over a standalone Finals Weekend at Twickenham, branded Allianz Stadium for the occasion, from 27 to 29 November. Each side is matched against its equivalently-placed opponent from the other conference: sixth plays sixth, fifth plays fifth, and so on, building up to the Grand Final between the two conference winners on Sunday 29 November.
Is There Promotion And Relegation?
Not yet. World Rugby is running a second-tier competition, the World Rugby Nations Cup, in parallel for nations including Georgia, Uruguay and the USA, but the top two tiers remain closed for this cycle and the 2028 edition. A promotion and relegation pathway between the Nations Championship and the Nations Cup is planned to begin from 2030, giving emerging nations a route into the top flight further down the line.
How Does It Affect The World Rugby Rankings?
Every Nations Championship fixture is a full Test match and counts towards the World Rugby Rankings in the normal way. The competition’s launch coincided with a separate but related change: from 1 July 2026, World Rugby removed the “home weighting” adjustment that previously made home wins worth relatively less than away wins in the rankings calculation, a shift that has already had a knock-on effect on this year’s July fixtures — we covered what the rankings change means for home advantage ahead of the window opening. South Africa go into the second half of the competition as World Rugby’s top-ranked side.
How Can I Watch The Nations Championship In The UK?
ITV holds exclusive UK broadcast rights to every Nations Championship match, shown free-to-air across ITV’s channels and on the ITVX streaming service, with Welsh-language coverage of Wales fixtures also available on S4C. A TV licence is required to watch or stream live coverage in the UK, but no subscription is needed beyond that.
What Happens Next?
The final round of the Southern Series is played out this weekend, including New Zealand’s Eden Park meeting with Ireland and Scotland’s Murrayfield finale against Fiji, before the competition goes quiet until the Northern Series begins in November. We’re tracking every result as it lands in our daily Nations Championship talking points, and we’ll update this guide as the conference tables take shape and the Finals Weekend match-ups become clearer.
Nations Championship 2026 Facts
Is the Nations Championship replacing the summer tours and autumn internationals?
Effectively, yes. As of 2026, July and November Test matches between these twelve nations are now played as part of the Nations Championship table rather than as standalone tours, though the fixtures themselves look similar to previous summer and autumn windows.
How many matches does each team play?
Six league matches — three home, three away, all against opposite-conference opposition — plus one further fixture during Finals Weekend against the team that finishes in the same table position in the other conference.
Where is the 2026 final being played?
Twickenham, branded Allianz Stadium, hosts the entire Finals Weekend from 27 to 29 November, with the Grand Final between the two conference winners on the Sunday.
Is there a second tier?
Yes, the World Rugby Nations Cup runs alongside the Nations Championship for nations such as Georgia, Uruguay and the USA, but there is no promotion or relegation between the two competitions until 2030.
