Why is the Nations Championship needed?
The Nations Championship was founded to add some relevance and spice to the mid-year and end-of-year rugby union internationals that are often played for little more than bragging rights.
The need for an overarching tournament was accelerated last year when France controversially sent a squad of second and third-string players for a mid-year tour to New Zealand to prioritise rest for their first-choice players, ultimately resulting in a less than interesting 3-0 whitewash to the All Blacks.
In even-numbered years, bilateral series and northern hemisphere tours will be replaced with a six-round competition that leads to a thrilling 'Finals Day' at London's Twickenham Stadium on the last weekend of November.
It means that every match will be played for points and a share of a significant pool of revenue that was boosted last year by an £80m tournament sponsorship deal involving Qatar Airways.
Will there be promotion and relegation?
Much to the chagrin of Georgia in particular, no.
Georgian rugby would desperately love a share of the revenue that is going to come from the tournament in addition to recognition as a Tier 1 rugby nation, but for now they will be involved in a 12-team second-tier 'Nations Cup' that includes other regular World Cup participants such as Uruguay, Samoa, Tonga, Canada and USA.
World Rugby has signalled an intent to bring promotion and relegation into the competition at a future date, but it will no doubt face stiff opposition from the existing 12 nations who would risk a significant loss in revenue by missing out on a tournament that runs every two years.
The Nations Cup will follow the same format as the Nations Championship.
Speaking of which, how does this all work?
During every even-numbered year, the four-week mid-year and end-of-year international windows will be replaced by six rounds of competition.
The 12 nations have been split into a Northern Hemisphere pool (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales) and a Southern Hemisphere pool (Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa).
In July, the six southern hemisphere nations will have three home games - all on successive weekends - against three northern hemisphere visitors.
In November, the roles will be reversed, with the six southern hemisphere teams playing away to three northern hemisphere nations.
Four points will be awarded for a win, two for a draw, zero for a loss, as well as one point for scoring 4+ tries and/or one point for losing by 1-8 points.
At the end of Round 6 in November, the top team of the two pools will play the inaugural final at Twickenham in London.
Before that, the second-placed teams of each pool will play in a 'third place final', the third-placed teams in a 'fifth place final', and so on all the way down, as part of a six-game Finals Weekend to span across three days at Twickenham.
Why are Fiji not playing their home games in Fiji?
Put simply, Fiji does not have a stadium that meets the requirements of the tournament: namely a capacity of at least 25,000 with at least 50% of seating undercover.
HFC Bank Stadium in Suva has a total capacity of 15,000, just 5,000 of which is seated.
Rather than seek an exemption from World Rugby, Fiji's union board deemed it would be of greater commercial value to them to play at higher-capacity stadiums in the United Kingdom. They will be 'hosting' England in Liverpool, Wales in Cardiff and Scotland in Edinburgh and taking their share of a gate far higher than anything possible back home.
It's a sad reflection of the state of rugby in the Pacific, which for decades has never lacked passion or talent but has fallen well short of commercial investment to help it move forward.
Where can I watch the 2026 Nations Championship?
A list of broadcast partners covering much of the globe can be found here.
Who are the favourites to win the title?
South Africa are favourites to win the Nations Championship with Bet365 after retaining their Rugby Championship crown last year and going on an undefeated tour of the northern hemisphere in November.
France, New Zealand, England and Ireland are the other major contenders for the title, with the other seven nations not expected to challenge for the final.
(Quoted odds published prior to Round 1)
The full Rugby Nations Championship schedule
Kick-off times can be found on the Flashscore Nations Championship page.
Round one - Saturday, July 4
New Zealand v France, One NZ Stadium, Christchurch
Japan v Italy, Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo
Australia v Ireland, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Fiji v Wales, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
South Africa v England, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Argentina v Scotland, Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba
Round two - Saturday, July 11
New Zealand v Italy, Hnry Stadium, Wellington
Australia v France, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Japan v Ireland, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Fiji v England, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
South Africa v Scotland, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Argentina v Wales, Estadio Bicentenario, San Juan
Round three - Saturday, July 18
New Zealand v Ireland, Eden Park, Auckland
Japan v France, MUFG Stadium, Tokyo
Australia v Italy, HBF Park, Perth
Fiji v Scotland, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
South Africa v Wales, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Argentina v England, Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero
Round four - Friday, November 6 to Sunday, November 8
Ireland v Argentina, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Italy v South Africa, Allianz Stadium, Turin
Scotland v New Zealand, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Wales v Japan, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
France v Fiji, Groupama Stadium, Lyon
England v Australia, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Round five - Friday, November 13 to Sunday, November 15
France v South Africa, Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Italy v Argentina, Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
Wales v New Zealand, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
England v Japan, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Ireland v Fiji, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Scotland v Australia, Scottish Gas Stadium, Edinburgh
Round six - Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22
England v New Zealand, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Scotland v Japan, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Italy v Fiji, Bluenergy Stadium, Udine
France v Argentina, Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Wales v Australia, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Finals weekend - Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29
Sixth placed North v Sixth placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Third placed North v Third placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Fifth placed North v Fifth placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Second placed North v Second placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Fourth placed North v Fourth placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
First placed North v First placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Nations Championship 2026
The inaugural Nations Championship will see six northern hemisphere and six southern hemisphere nations battle it out across six rounds in the July and November international windows before assembling in Twickenham for one unforgettable finals weekend on November 27-29.
Nations Championship fixtures | Nations Championship previews | Nations Championship standings | Everything you need to know about the Nations Championship | Where to watch the Nations Championship
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
