The Nations Championship explains the new north versus south rugby competition.
Next year, international rugby will see a major shake-up with the launch of the Nations Championship. This new competition will pit teams from the northern hemisphere against their southern hemisphere counterparts, culminating in a showdown during a "Finals Weekend" in London to determine the ultimate champion in a north vs. south final.
"The Nations Championship has the potential to reshape the landscape of rugby," stated Nations Championship CEO Tom Harrison upon revealing the complete fixture list on Monday.
Curious about how the Nations Championship will unfold and when the teams will clash? Allow us to fill you in.
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Understanding the Format
Scheduled to take place biennially starting in 2026, the Nations Championship will not interfere with either the Six Nations or Rugby Championship as it is a collaborative effort by the organizers of those established events. Instead, it will supplant the current July and November international windows.
The participating teams are divided into two hemispheres, with Fiji and Japan joining as invitational teams representing the southern region:
Northern Hemisphere
England
Ireland
Wales
Scotland
France
Italy
Southern Hemisphere
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
Argentina
Fiji
Japan
The competition will commence with the northern hemisphere squads embarking on a journey to face their southern rivals. Exciting matchups include South Africa vs. England, New Zealand vs. France, and Australia vs. Ireland. Specific venues and kick-off times are yet to be finalized.
In the subsequent round, the southern hemisphere teams will return the visit by traveling north, competing for a spot in the finals weekend, akin to the Autumn Nations Series.
The finals weekend, slated for Nov. 27-29, will witness all 12 teams in action, with each squad facing off against their counterpart from the same hemisphere (e.g., sixth-ranked team from the north facing the sixth-ranked team from the south). The pinnacle of the event will be the championship match between the top two nations.
The Nations Championship will recur in 2028 and 2030, with the latter year marking the introduction of promotion and relegation from/to what can be seen as a second division. The teams for this division will be chosen from the Rugby Europe Championship, an expanded Pacific Nations Cup, as well as squads from South America, Africa, and Asia.
Complete Nations Championship Fixture List
JULY 2026 -- SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE SERIES
Round 1 -- Saturday, July 4, 2026
New Zealand vs France
Australia vs Ireland
Japan vs Italy
Fiji vs Wales
South Africa vs England
Argentina vs Scotland
Round 2 -- Saturday, July 11, 2026
New Zealand vs Italy
Australia vs France
Japan vs Ireland
Fiji vs England
South Africa vs Scotland
Argentina vs Wales
Round 3 -- Saturday, July 18, 2026
Japan vs France
New Zealand vs Ireland
Australia vs Italy
Fiji vs Scotland
South Africa vs Wales
Argentina vs England
NOVEMBER 2026 -- NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SERIES
Round 4 -- Nov. 6-8, 2026
Ireland vs Argentina
Italy vs South Africa
Scotland vs New Zealand
Wales vs Japan
France vs Fiji
England vs Australia
Round 5 -- Nov. 13-15, 2026
France vs South Africa
Italy vs Argentina
Wales vs New Zealand
England vs Japan
Ireland vs Fiji
Scotland vs Australia
Round 6 -- Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026
England vs New Zealand
Scotland vs Japan
Ireland vs South Africa
Italy vs Fiji
France vs Argentina
Wales vs Australia