How the Nations Championship works: format, dates and 'finals weekend' explained

The Six Nations sides, Rugby Championship teams plus Japan and Fiji will all feature as the Northern Hemisphere nations go head-to-head with their Southern Hemisphere counterparts. The fixtures will be played in the Summer and Autumn and culminate with a ‘Finals Weekend’ at the end of November.

Each team will play six matches, three at home and three away from home, plus one more once the league standings have been settled. There is a lot to try and understand about how the competition works and here is everything you need to know:

How does the Nations Championship work? Rule and format for international rugby tournament

The Nations Championship is made up of 12 teams. The six teams who make up the Six Nations Championship (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales) represent the Northern Hemisphere.

The Southern Hemisphere is represented by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Fiji while Japan have also been placed in that section despite technically being a Northern Hemisphere nation. The teams from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres will face off against each other, each playing six Test matches, with results dictating their league standings.

The league is divided into two sections, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, with rankings based off of the traditional points format. Once all six rounds of matches have been played the final league standings are settled.

At that point, the team who finished top of their table will play their corresponding opponent from the other table in a one off Test match. Second faces second, third faces third and so on during this weekend of matches called ‘Finals Weekend’.

Nations Championship 2026 fixtures and dates

The three weekends of Summer matches will see the Southern Hemisphere teams as the home sides with the exception of Fiji who will play all of their matches away. This means that half the Northern Hemisphere teams, including Scotland, gain an extra home match when they take on the Flying Fijians.

The Autumn will see the Northern Hemisphere teams playing at home. Here is the full fixture list for the 2026 Nations Championship (all kick off times BST):

Saturday 4 July 2026

• New Zealand v France – 08:10 – One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch
• Japan v Italy – 09:40 – Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo
• Australia v Ireland – 11:10 – Allianz Stadium, Sydney
• Fiji v Wales – 14:10 – Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
• South Africa v England – 16:40 – Ellis Park, Johannesburg
• Argentina v Scotland – 20:10 – Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba

Saturday 11 July 2026

• New Zealand v Italy – 06:10 – Sky Stadium, Wellington
• Australia v France – 08:40 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
• Japan v Ireland – 11:10 – McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
• Fiji v England – 14:10 – Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
• South Africa v Scotland – 16:40 – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
• Argentina v Wales – 20:10 – Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan

Saturday 18 July 2026

• New Zealand v Ireland – 08:10 – Eden Park, Auckland
• Japan v France – 09:40 – Japan National Stadium, Tokyo
• Australia v Italy – 11:10 – HBF Park, Perth
• Fiji v Scotland – 14:10 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
• South Africa v Wales – 16:40 – Kings Park Stadium, Durban
• Argentina v England – 20:10 – Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero

Friday 6 November 2026

• Ireland v Argentina – 20:10 – Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Saturday 7 November 2026

• Italy v South Africa – 11:40 – Venue TBC
• Scotland v New Zealand – 14:10 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
• Wales v Japan – 16:40 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
• France v Fiji – 20:10 – Groupama Stadium, Lyon

Sunday 8 November 2026

• England v Australia – 15:10 – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

Friday 13 November 2026

• France v South Africa – 20:10 – Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Saturday 14 November 2026

• Italy v Argentina – 11:40 – Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
• Wales v New Zealand – 14:10 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
• England v Japan – 16:40 – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
• Ireland v Fiji – 20:10 – Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Sunday 15 November 2026

• Scotland v Australia – 15:10 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Saturday 21 November 2026

• England v New Zealand – 14:10 – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
• Scotland v Japan – 14:10 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh
• Ireland v South Africa – 16:40 – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
• Italy v Fiji – 16:40 – Venue TBC
• Wales v Australia – 20:10 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff
• France v Argentina – 20:10 – Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Nations Championship 2026 - when and where Finals Weekend will take place

Finals Weekend for the 2026 Nations Championship will see six Test match fixtures played across three days at London’s Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. Here is the current schedule:

Friday 27 November 2026

• 11th-place play-off & 9th-place play-off

Saturday 28 November 2026

• 7th-place play-off & 5th-place play-off

Sunday 29 November 2026

• 3rd-place play-off & Nations Championship Final

Is there promotion and relegation to and from the Nations Championship?

The first two editions of the Nations Championship in 2026 and 2027 will not feature relegation. However, future editions of the competition are expected to feature relegation and promotion for sides competing in the World Rugby Nations Cup including the likes of Georgia, USA and Uruguay to name a few.

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