Scotland's revenge mission as Nations Championship fixtures revealed

The Pumas came back from 21-0 down to beat the Scots 33-24 at Murrayfield on Sunday in a shocking capitulation by Gregor Townsend’s team.

Argentina will now host Scotland on July 4, 2026 on the opening day of a new tournament which pitches the Six Nations teams against the best of the southern hemisphere.

After Argentina, Townsend’s side will travel to South Africa for the first time since 2014 to take on the world champions, a team Scotland have never beaten during the coach’s eight-year reign. It’s a daunting start but also an exciting one.

A third ‘away’ game, against Fiji, is likely to be played in Europe, possibly even at Murrayfield, on July 18.

The second phase of the competition will be played in November 2026 and will see the southern hemisphere sides travel north. Scotland will host New Zealand on the first weekend of the month, Australia a week later and Japan on November 21.

Finals Weekend at Twickenham

The new tournament is to be played on a biennial basis in the years when there is no Rugby World Cup or Lions tour. It is designed to bring a competitive structure to the autumn and summer Test windows as it pitches the top six sides from the northern hemisphere against the best of the southern hemisphere.

It will culminate in a Finals Weekend at the Allianz Stadium at Twickenham on November 27-29. The top sides from the north and south will contest the main final and there will also be cross-hemisphere matches between those teams who finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth.

Following Scotland’s defeat by New Zealand earlier this month, Townsend said he wanted to play the top sides more regularly. He has now got his wish and the national coach believes the tournament will drive up standards.

“Yes, it's an interesting time,” he said. “We play the southern hemisphere teams at the end of their campaign and they obviously have got really good cohesion and we have to find that. But we'll be also playing them in July when we've had a full season. Playing the top teams every two years in this new competition is going to raise the level of performances for the Six Nations teams and likewise for the Rugby Championship teams. So yes, looking forward to that tournament.”

The tournament is the result of a collaboration between the Six Nations and SANZAAR, the coalition of South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina. Japan and Fiji have also been invited to participate but there has been criticism of the closed shop nature of the championship, and what it could mean for so-called ‘tier 2’ nations who have been excluded.

The aim is to start the new competition with a bang on July 4. As well as Argentina v Scotland, the fixtures include New Zealand v France, Australia v Ireland and South Africa v England.

“The Nations Championship has the power to redefine the future of rugby, and the partnership between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR signals a tectonic shift in the sport,” said Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby.

Scotland’s Nations Championship fixtures (subject to change)

July 4: Argentina (a)

July 11: South Africa (a)

July 18: Fiji (a) [set to be played in Europe]

Nov 6-8: New Zealand (h)

Nov 13-15: Australia (h)

Nov 21: Japan (h)

Nov 27-29: Finals Weekend (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham)