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There are loads of ways to watch international rugby’s newest tournament – including several ways to watch for FREE.
The first-ever Nations Championship lands in the northern hemisphere this weekend. Six matches are heading your way across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and there are options to watch every one for FREE.
So far, South Africa and New Zealand are setting the pace with 100% records, while Fiji and Italy are the only teams still looking for their first wins. In terms of the battle between the hemispheres it’s honours even, with both north and south having claimed nine victories so far.
Round 4 kicks off on Friday night, when Ireland host Argentina at the Aviva Stadium. Then there’s a packed Saturday, with Italy v South Africa, Scotland v New Zealand, Wales v Japan and France v Fiji. The curtain comes down on the weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Sunday afternoon, when England face Australia.
The good news is that you can watch every single second as it happens, and – even better – Nations Championship live streams are available for FREE if you live in the UK, Ireland or France.
Below we’ve rounded up details of how to watch the Nations Championship 2026 wherever you are in the world – including details of how you can use a VPN to access your usual streaming services if you’re travelling overseas right now.
– Nations Championship Northern Series dates: 6-29 November, 2026
– Nations Championship broadcasters: ITV (UK), Virgin Media (Ireland), TF1 (France), SuperSport (South Africa), Stan Sport (Australia), Sky Sport NZ (New Zealand), Wowow (Japan)
– Nations Championship FREE Streams: ITVX, Virgin Media Play, TF1+, RugbyPass TV
– Watch Nations Championship from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
Viewers in the UK, Ireland and France can enjoy the Nations Championship action for free.
Being abroad doesn’t have to stop you watching the Nations Championship. A VPN bypasses geo-blocking by changing your IP address, letting you stream Nations Championship 2026 matches as if you were at home. The tech experts at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide rate NordVPN as world number one, thanks to its low price and unrivalled ability to unblock streaming services.
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In the UK, ITV has exclusive rights to every Nations Championship 2026 game.
All of the matches will be available on the ITVX streaming service, as well as the broadcaster’s terrestrial channels.
This weekend:
ITVX is free to use, but you’ll need to complete a short registration to access the service. You also require a valid TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK.
Free-to-air Virgin Media Television is showing every Nations Championship fixture on its Virgin Media Play streaming platform in Ireland.
This weekend, terrestrial channel Virgin Media One is also devoted to the rugby, meaning you can watch all six matches without touching your remote.
Virgin Media Play is free to use, but you do need to sign up to the service before you can access its content.
Down under? Nations Championship live streams for all 42 games are available through Stan Sport, which is also home to loads of other rugby action and Premier League and Champions League soccer.
It costs $20 a month to add Stan Sport to your general Stan plan (prices start at £9.99 a month).
Springboks fans will be hoping their side can add this new competition to their bulging trophy cabinet, and they can watch all the action on SuperSport.
SuperSport will be familiar to rugby fans in South Africa, with a host of other tournaments airing on the network. You can get SuperSport on your TV via DStv, or you can stream online.
There are various SuperSport packages available, so have a look at what works best for you.
In countries where no broadcaster has snapped up Nations Championship rights – including the United States – you can watch Nations Championship games on World Rugby’s RugbyPass TV.
It’s free to use, though you do need to register before you can watch any of the action.
Sky Sport NZ has the New Zealand rights to the Nations Championship, along with plenty more world-class sporting action – including All Blacks games and Premier League soccer.
You can subscribe to Sky Sport Now from $59.99 per month or $549.99 per year (equivalent to $45.83 per month). Day passes are also available for $29.99.
Free broadcaster TF1 has picked up the rights to the entire Nations Championship in France.
Every game will be available on the TF1+ streaming platform, with selected matches available across the broadcaster’s TV channels. This weekend:
In Italy, 2026 Nations Championship games will air on Sky Sport Italia.
Sky Sport is a paid-for service available on satellite television and its own streaming platform.
The Nations Championship broadcaster in Japan is subscription service Wowow.
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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).
2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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