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Organized by the International Rugby Union, the inaugural 2026 Nations Championship is running from 4 July to 29 November 2026. The tournament features 12 men’s national teams divided into two pools of six: the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere. After completing three rounds in July in the Southern Hemisphere, the tournament is now in its second phase, with teams playing in the Northern Hemisphere across November.
Backed by a substantial £80 million commercial partnership from Qatar Airways, the 2026 Nations Championship assigns a competitive weight to every cross-hemisphere match. The tournament features the traditional 15-a-side team format. As a brand-new biennial competition created by World Rugby to replace traditional summer tours and autumn friendlies, the first champion will be crowned at the grand final on Sunday 29 November 2026 at Allianz Stadium in London. Explores Nations Championship fixtures, pools, standings and results across the tournament.
| Competition detail | Information |
| Competition | Nations Championship |
| Edition | 2026 (Inaugural edition) |
| Participating teams | 12 national teams |
| Pools | 2 (Northern and Southern Hemispheres) |
| Competition rounds | 6 |
| Tournament start date | 4 July 2026 |
| July series | 4–18 July 2026 |
| November series | 6–21 November 2026 |
| Finals Weekend | 27–29 November 2026 |
| Grand Final | 29 November 2026 |
| Host city | London, England |
| Finals venue | Allianz Stadium, Twickenham |
| Tournament frequency | Biennial (every two years) |
| Last updated | 3 November 2026 |
Nations Championship rugby is an ambitious new international rugby union competition that will start in 2026, with backing from SANZAAR and Six Nations Rugby. It will feature 12 teams from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, including the six nations, four SANZAAR teams, Fiji and Japan. In each international window (July and November), the teams play 6 rounds, and their rankings in the final standings dictate which teams play in the finals weekend. Unlike the Nations Cup, which is played in separate competitions, the Rugby Nations Championship brings it all to London’s Allianz Stadium on the finals weekend 27-29 November 2026.
The inaugural 2026 Nations Championship rugby has 12 teams divided into pools (Northern and Southern Hemisphere) of six teams each. The table below shows the tournament’s pools.
| Northern Hemisphere Pool | Southern Hemisphere Pool |
| England | Argentina |
| France | Australia |
| Ireland | Fiji |
| Italy | Japan |
| Scotland | New Zealand |
| Wales | South Africa |
The Nations Championship rugby fixtures provide details of the upcoming international matches, including participating teams, match venues, dates and kick-off times. The November series features Rounds 4, 5 and 6, with 18 matches scheduled between 6 and 21 November 2026. Since match schedules may change, stay tuned to SportPesa’s official blog page for the updated Nations Championship schedule.
The Nations Championship results 2026 are the final scores of completed matches from the inaugural competition. The campaign in South Africa ended with a memorable 43-0 win over Wales, while New Zealand won a hard-fought 34-32 against France. The results table below follows all 18 matches played in July, allowing fans to keep up with matches from team to team and progression throughout the competition. Follow the latest 2026 Nations Championship results on the SportPesa Score app.
The 2026 Nations Championship standings are based on the six rounds of the competition and indicate a team’s performance. Each team’s results are recorded in the table, and points are calculated. The wins, draws, defeats, and points shown are for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere teams, respectively. France’s 12 points put them in the lead in the Northern Hemisphere, followed by Scotland with 11 and England and Ireland both with 10, while South Africa and New Zealand are tied for the top in the Southern Hemisphere with 15 each. Since positions keep changing their spots as games are played, keep on top of SportPesa rugby updates to know the latest on the Nations Championship table.
The Nations Championship is an international rugby union competition with 12 national teams divided into two groups of six (Northern and Southern Hemispheres). The Nations Championship format is structured as follows: each team is grouped and will play six crossover games with all teams in the other group, three in July during the international window and the other three in November. The snapshot below shows the Nations Championship point system.
| Points category | Awarded points |
| Match victory | 4 |
| Match draw | 2 |
| Match defeat | 0 |
| Try bonus (four or more tries) | +1 |
| Losing bonus (defeat by 7 points or fewer) | +1 |
| Maximum points per match | 6 |
| Maximum points across six rounds | 36 |
The Nations Championship Final Weekend will take place from 27 to 29 November 2026 at Allianz Stadium in London. In the tournament’s final stage, the teams will play six cross-hemisphere matches over three days. The matches will be paired by the same position within their respective Northern and Southern Hemisphere tables (6th vs. 6th down to 1st vs. 1st). The table below shows how the matches will be distributed to crown the overall tournament champion.
| Match | Date | Kick-off (GMT) | Fixture | Final position |
| Match 1 | Friday, 27 November 2026 | 4:40 PM | 6th Northern vs 6th Southern | 11th-place final |
| Match 2 | Saturday, 28 November 2026 | TBC | 5th Northern vs 5th Southern | 9th-place final |
| Match 3 | Saturday, 28 November 2026 | TBC | 4th Northern vs 4th Southern | 7th-place final |
| Match 4 | Saturday, 28 November 2026 | TBC | 3rd Northern vs 3rd Southern | 5th-place final |
| Match 5 | Sunday, 29 November 2026 | TBC | 2nd Northern vs 2nd Southern | 3rd-place final |
| Grand Final | Sunday, 29 November 2026 | TBC | 1st Northern vs 1st Southern | Championship final |
The Nations Championship rugby stats show the best players from the first series in July 2026, including top points scorers, try scorers, discipline, and more. Will Jordan, New Zealand, has the top try-scoring tally with six tries in three rounds, while Maxime Lucu leads the official tournament points table with 37 points for France. Takurō Matsunaga from Japan and Ruben Love from New Zealand are also among the top scorers, highlighting the importance of goal-kicking and assists in the attacking game. The stats are updated at the end of each match based on the performance of the various players and teams. The second half is just about to kick off, and be ready to hear the latest Nations Championship figures via SportPesa.
There are three ways for rugby fans to stay up to date with the latest information regarding the 2026 Nations Championship. One way to keep up with the tournament is to follow SportPesa Kenya’s blog or the SportPesa Score app for sports news, tournament standings, match results, and player performances. Follow official Nations Championship and World Rugby channels for official fixtures, team announcements, and competition updates.
The Nations Championship 2026 is the first in a regular biennial series of international men’s rugby union matches, organized to replace the mid-year and autumn series tests in non-World Cup/Lions years and to achieve a common calendar of rugby matches for all nations.
The Nations Championship 2026 Tour has been arranged with cross-hemisphere pool matches from July to November, followed by a six-match Finals Weekend at London’s Allianz Stadium from November 27 to 29 to crown the rugby world champion.
No. In 2026, the Rugby Championship was not played to allow time for the introduction of the new Nations Championship, so South Africa retained their title as the previous year’s champions.
The 2026 Nations Championship Finals Weekend will be held exclusively at Allianz Stadium in London, England, from November 27 to 29.
The 2026 Nations Championship will host the top international rugby teams (South Africa, New Zealand, England, France, Ireland) from 12 nations, competing for the title for the first time. Follow SportPesa Kenya for Nations Championship updates, table, results, and top scorer updates as the competition continues.
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