Confused by rugby’s newest international rugby tournament? Here’s all your Nations Championship questions answered

The Nations Championship is a new biennial international rugby tournament created by Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR, featuring 12 teams divided into northern and southern hemisphere conferences. The inaugural 2026 edition features the Six Nations teams, the four Rugby Championship sides, and invitational participants Fiji and Japan. Games are scheduled across July and November test windows, concluding with a finals weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, from November 27 to 29.

Fiji relocated their July home games to the United Kingdom due to stadium capacity requirements, while Ireland played Japan in Newcastle, Australia. Outside the primary tournament, 12 countries are contesting the second-tier Nations Cup. World Rugby has indicated that promotion and relegation between the two competitions will not be considered until the 2030 tournament at the earliest.