Nations Championship: Schedule as inaugural tournament gears up for finals

World Rugby's inaugural 12-team Nations Championship has outlined its schedule and format leading up to Finals Weekend at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium from November 27 to 29, 2026. The new biennial tournament brings together the Six Nations teams—England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Italy—against SANZAAR sides South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina, alongside invited nations Fiji and Japan.

Each team plays six regular fixtures split evenly between southern hemisphere matches in July and northern hemisphere matches in November. The opening results determine seeding for the concluding Finals Weekend in London, where each northern hemisphere side faces their correspondingly ranked southern counterpart to decide final standings.