The northern and southern hemispheres will collide in 2026 within the new Nations Championship, which can see 12 groups from SANZAAR and the Six Nations conflict throughout the globe.
SA Rugby introduced on Monday that the Springboks can have dwelling fixtures towards England, Wales, and Scotland in July subsequent yr, whereas groups like Japan and Fiji have been invited to play within the spectacle.
Per the SA Rugby website: The SANZAAR nations – South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina – plus invitational groups Japan and Fiji, will characterize the Southern Hemisphere within the new competitors, performed within the two present worldwide home windows in July and November, towards the Six Nations groups, England, France, Eire, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
“Following the six rounds, the Nations Championship will culminate in a first-of-its-kind Finals Weekend, which will likely be hosted on the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in London subsequent November.
“England (4 July), Scotland (11 July) and Wales (18 July) will head to South Africa for the midyear Assessments, whereas it was additionally confirmed that the Boks will face Italy (weekend of 6-8 November), France (weekend of 13-15 November) and Eire (21 November) in Europe subsequent yr to finish fixtures towards all Six Nations groups.
“The Finals Weekend, scheduled for 27-29 November 2026, will ship world-class sporting leisure to followers, with three days of double headers taking centre stage on the Allianz Stadium in London. A completely new idea for rugby union, the Finals Weekend provides a dramatic climax to the match, the place each fixture issues to each workforce, and creates an unmissable expertise for gamers and followers alike.
“The highest-ranked groups within the Southern and Northern Hemisphere will battle it out to be named the primary ever Champion of the brand new match. Including to the aggressive jeopardy of the Finals Weekend, groups can even be competing to earn factors for his or her group to resolve the dominant Hemisphere within the sport, that yr.”
All 12 nations will compete for factors – 4 for a win, two for a draw, zero for a loss, and bonus factors for scoring 4 or extra tries and dropping by seven factors or fewer – to find out the standings of their respective teams. These factors earned in the course of the July and November rounds will in the end resolve the schedule of fixtures for the Finals Weekend.
Brendan Morris, CEO of SANZAAR mentioned: “The institution of The Nations Championship is an historic and thrilling transfer for rugby that can see the SANZAAR Member Unions, with the addition of Fiji and Japan, tackle the very best of Europe and the Northern Hemisphere on a biennial foundation.
“SANZAAR nations have a proud and profitable file at worldwide degree. Our goal is to proceed this file, and the Nations Championship, together with our rugby calendar for the 2026-2030 interval, will present the proper pathway for continued success.
“We warmly welcome our Pacific neighbours Japan and Fiji into the match, as a part of our ‘workforce’. The taking part groups are excited, the broadcasters are excited, and the followers are excited, and we very a lot sit up for July 2026 when all of it kicks-off.”
Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby, mentioned: “The Nations Championship has the facility to redefine the way forward for rugby, and the partnership between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR alerts a tectonic shift within the sport.
“Rugby’s strongest nations have collaborated with a transparent imaginative and prescient to develop the sport, by difficult conventional methods of working to create a match construction with real world relevance, which can unlock the true worth of the game.
“The world’s greatest and finest championships are outlined by intense sporting drama, and the Nations Championship will stand alongside these. The Finals Weekend will add a completely new dimension for followers, and guarantees to create an unimaginable spectacle, crown Champions, and act as a catalyst to develop rugby’s attain, globally.”
