Nations Championship

For the second tier competition ran by World Rugby, see World Rugby Nations Cup (2026–).

Nations Championship

Upcoming season or competition: 2026 Nations Championship
Sport	Rugby union
Founded	2023;3 years ago (2023)
First season	2026;0 years ago (2026)
No. of teams	12
Broadcasters	List of broadcasters

The Nations Championship is a planned biennial international men's rugby union competition, which is scheduled to take place in the mid-year and end-of-year international windows in even-numbered years, with the inaugural edition beginning in 2026. ^[1]

Format

The competition will consist of twelve teams, involving the current Six Nations (England, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) and SANZAAR (Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) unions, in addition to two invited unions, Fiji and Japan. ^[2] The competition will be held in even-numbered years, as these are the years when there is no British & Irish Lions tour or Rugby World Cup, both of which are of prestige and commercial importance to the sport. ^[3]

The format of the competition will include a "European Conference", consisting of the Six Nations unions, and a "SANZAAR and Pacific Conference" comprising the SANZAAR nations, in addition to the two invited unions (Japan and Fiji). Each team will play the six nations in their opposing conference across the July and November test windows, with a grand final to be played at the end of the November window between the first-placed teams in each conference to decide the tournament champion. ^[4]

World Rugby Nations Cup

Main article: World Rugby Nations Cup (2026–)

A second competition, run by World Rugby, will take place concurrently and will consist of twelve further teams, with promotion and relegation between the divisions commencing from the start of the third edition in 2030.

Teams

With no promotion and relegation in the first two editions, the following teams will contest both the inaugural tournament and the second edition.

Nations Championship

Team	Competition	Region
Northern Hemisphere
England	Six Nations Championship	Europe
France	Six Nations Championship	Europe
Ireland	Six Nations Championship	Europe
Italy	Six Nations Championship	Europe
Scotland	Six Nations Championship	Europe
Wales	Six Nations Championship	Europe
Southern Hemisphere
Argentina	The Rugby Championship	South America
Australia	The Rugby Championship	Oceania
Fiji	Pacific Nations Cup	Oceania
Japan [a]	Pacific Nations Cup	Asia
New Zealand	The Rugby Championship	Oceania
South Africa	The Rugby Championship	Africa

Results

Ed.	Year	Finals host	First place game			Third place game
			Champion	Score	Runner-up	Third	Score	Fourth
1	2026	England		TBD Twickenham Stadium, London			TBD Twickenham Stadium, London

Qualification results

Team	2026	2028	2030	Years
Argentina	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
Australia	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
England	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
Fiji	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
France	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
Ireland	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
Italy	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
Japan	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
New Zealand	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
Scotland	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
South Africa	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
Wales	TBD	TBD	TBD	3
Total	12	12	12	3

Criticism

The creation of the Nations Championship has received criticism for 'ring-fencing' smaller nations outside elite competition and narrowing their opportunities to play against top nations. ^[7] It has also been criticised for potentially devaluing the Rugby World Cup. ^[8] World Rugby's Chief Executive Alan Gilpin has defended against this criticism by stating “the suggestions that this just makes the rich richer are misplaced. This creates a better landscape” whilst adding that there will be “50% guaranteed more crossover fixtures” in non-tournament years. ^[9]

Broadcasting rights

The following is the list of confirmed broadcast partners:

Territory	Rights holder	Ref.
Australia	Nine [b] Stan Sport	[10] [11]
France	TF1	[12] [13]
Republic of Ireland	Virgin Media Television	[14] [15]
Italy	Sky Italia	[16]
Japan	Wowow	[17]
New Zealand	Sky Sport	[18] [19]
United Kingdom	ITV [c]	[20]

Notes

1. Although Japan is not geographically situated in the Southern Hemisphere, it is classified within the Southern Hemisphere region due to its international alignment with the Pacific Ocean. ^{[5] [6]}
2. All Australia matches played on Australian soil. (See also § Australian anti-siphoning laws).
3. ITV1 in England, Wales, Southern Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands; STV in Scotland.

References

1. "Historic rugby calendar reform to supercharge reach and competitiveness" (Press release). World Rugby. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
2. Bendon, Philip (24 October 2023). "World Rugby Approves New Global Rugby Tournament From 2026". Flo Rugby. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
3. "The Rugby Nations Championship: Everything You Need To Know". keithprowse.co.uk. 11 December 2023.
4. Bruce, Sam (25 October 2023). "FAQs: Explaining rugby's Nations Championship and a 24-team World Cup". ESPN. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
5. "Hemispheres will collide when the Nations Championship debuts in 2026". super.rugby. SANZAAR. 23 November 2025. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026.
6. "Japan to Participate in Nations Championship in 2026, 2028 and 2030". en.rugby-japan.jp. Japan Rugby Football Union. 17 November 2025. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026.
7. Coles, Ben (25 October 2023). "New Nations Championship 'a slap in the face' to smaller rugby nations". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 3 November 2023.
8. Jones, Stephen (28 October 2023). "Nations Cup is a disgraceful swindle designed to protect elite" . The Times . Retrieved 3 November 2023.
9. Kitson, Robert (24 October 2023). "World Rugby's global calendar overhaul labelled 'stitch-up' by smaller nations". The Guardian . Retrieved 3 November 2023.
10. Payten, Iain (8 April 2025). "Rugby Australia secures $65m uplift in new broadcast deal with Nine". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 8 April 2025.
11. Williamson, Nathan (12 May 2025). "Nine Network, Stan confirmed as host broadcasters for Rugby World Cups until 2029". Rugby.com.au .
12. "Rugby : TF1 diffusera le Mondial 2027 et les éditions 2026 et 2028 de la Coupe des Nations" [Rugby: TF1 to broadcast the 2027 World Cup and the 2026 and 2028 editions of the Nations Cup]. Le Parisien (in French). LVMH. 10 October 2025. Archived from the original on 10 November 2025.
13. Sim, Josh (14 October 2025). "TF1 secures 2027 Rugby World Cup and Nations Championship rights". SportsPro .
14. Cunningham, Barry (4 February 2026). "Virgin Media Television Becomes Exclusive Free-To-Air Home Of Nations Championship". irishrugby.ie. Irish Rugby Football Union . Retrieved 7 February 2026.
15. Cameron, Ian (5 February 2026). "'Landmark': Virgin Media win Irish rights to Nations Championship". RugbyPass . Retrieved 7 February 2026.
16. "Sky ha acquisito i diritti di trasmissione di due grandi tornei di rugby per il 2026: il "Guiness Men's Six Nations" e il "National Championship"" [Sky has acquired the broadcast rights to two major rugby tournaments for 2026: the Guinness Men's Six Nations and the National Championship]. Il Messaggero (in Italian). Caltagirone Editore. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
17. "ネーションズチャンピオンシップ 2026年・2028年・2030年 日本代表出場決定のお知らせ" [Announcement of Japan's participation in the Nations Championship 2026, 2028, and 2030]. rugby-japan.jp (in Japanese). Japan Rugby Football Union. 17 November 2025.
18. "NZ Rugby and Sky seal new broadcast deal with TVNZ". Radio New Zealand . 22 August 2025. Archived from the original on 23 August 2025.
19. "Sky buys All Blacks, Super Rugby TV rights until 2030; TVNZ scoops NPC games". The New Zealand Herald . New Zealand Media and Entertainment. 22 August 2025. Archived from the original on 31 August 2025.
20. "Nations Championship statement partnership with ITV cements the UK's most comprehensive free-to-air access to international rugby in the sport's history". ITV. 26 January 2026.