What Is the Nations Championship?

Rugby union's newest international tournament, the Nations Championship, launched in 2026 and made its debut in July, marking a major and much-needed evolution for the sport.

This groundbreaking addition to the international rugby calendar pits the biggest teams from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres against each other, in a global format that's guaranteed to thrill.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll detail everything you need to know about the 2026 Nations Championship, with information on the format, the teams involved and how you can be a part of the action.

This tournament is the very definition of a must-see event and now is the time to plan ahead and secure your seats. On LiveRugbyTickets you can buy Nations Championship tickets from our trusted resellers, as well as other rugby tickets for top fixtures in the UK, Europe and beyond.

How to buy Nations Championship rugby tickets?

If you're asking the question "how can I book Nations Championship rugby tickets?", we've laid out the process in easy-to-follow steps below. Our online ticketing service at LiveRugbyTickets allows our customers to buy official Nations Championship tickets from resellers.

Follow this walkthrough to purchase Nations Championship tickets for rugby:

1. Select the match you want to attend and click 'View Tickets'.
2. Select the area you would like to sit in the stadium on the right-hand side.
3. Select the number of tickets you would like to purchase.
4. Click on the green 'Buy' button.
5. Complete the order form using your personal details.
6. Don't forget to check all of your information is correct.
7. Click 'Make Payment' to finalise.
8. That's it! The tickets are now yours!

Why was the Nations Championship launched?

The Nations Championship was created to add extra relevance and incentive to the traditional mid and end-of-year Autumn international Test matches.

Before its formation in 2026, bragging rights were often the only motivation to perform in the end-of-year tests. Indeed, the situation came to a head last year when France sent a squad made up of fringe and second-string players to take on New Zealand, which stripped all of the interest out of what should have been a showpiece series.

However, now fans and teams alike have a rugby union tournament with genuine prestige to look forward to. Every game will have something riding on it, while significant prize money is also up for grabs thanks to a £80m Qatar Airways sponsorship deal.

In the Nations Championship, every point and match matters, in an exciting new twist to the international rugby union code that will see 12 of the biggest teams from around the world competing to win the sport's newest title.

Nations Championship format explained

The first thing to note is that the Nations Championship is a biennial tournament and it will skip the years when the Rugby World Cup or British & Irish Lions Tour are already on the calendar.

The idea here is to use the traditional four-week mid-year and end-of-year international windows for the new Nations Championship, which will have six rounds, split evenly between July and November.

The 12 competing nations are split into two pools, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and each team will play all six opponents from the opposite pool, both home and away, in a league format.

In July, the six southern hemisphere nations will have three home games across successive weekends against three visiting teams from the northern hemisphere. In the Autumn, the format switches up, with the six southern hemisphere teams traveling to take on three northern hemisphere nations in November.

Four points are awarded for wins and two for draws, while bonus points are also there to be claimed for teams who score 4+tries or for sides who lose by seven or fewer points, adding extra incentives for teams to produce exciting, attacking rugby.

Northern Hemisphere pool: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales

Southern Hemisphere pool: Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa

When the pool stage concludes, all 12 teams advance to the Finals Weekend in November, and there, teams face the nation that finished in the same position in the opposite pool. For example, 5^th^ place in the Northern Hemisphere would take on the side that finished 5^th^ in the Southern pool.

The Nations Championship concludes with the Grand Final at Twickenham Stadium in London on November 27^th^, where the first-place finishers from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres collide for the title.

2026 Nations Championship Fixtures

If you're planning to buy 2026 Nations Championship tickets, these are the dates you'll need to add to your calendar:
Round one - Saturday, July 4

• New Zealand v France, One NZ Stadium, Christchurch

• Japan v Italy, Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo

• Australia v Ireland, Allianz Stadium, Sydney

• Fiji v Wales, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff

• South Africa v England, Ellis Park, Johannesburg

• Argentina v Scotland, Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba

Round two - Saturday, July 11

• New Zealand v Italy, Hnry Stadium, Wellington

• Australia v France, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

• Japan v Ireland, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle

• Fiji v England, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool

• South Africa v Scotland, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

• Argentina v Wales, Estadio Bicentenario, San Juan

Round three - Saturday, July 18

• New Zealand v Ireland, Eden Park, Auckland

• Japan v France, MUFG Stadium, Tokyo

• Australia v Italy, HBF Park, Perth

• Fiji v Scotland, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh

• South Africa v Wales, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban

• Argentina v England, Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero

Round four - Friday, November 6 to Sunday, November 8

• Ireland v Argentina, Aviva Stadium, Dublin

• Italy v South Africa, Allianz Stadium, Turin

• Scotland v New Zealand, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh

• Wales v Japan, Principality Stadium, Cardiff

• France v Fiji, Groupama Stadium, Lyon

• England v Australia, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

Round five - Friday, November 13 to Sunday, November 15

• France v South Africa, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

• Italy v Argentina, Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa

• Wales v New Zealand, Principality Stadium, Cardiff

• England v Japan, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

• Ireland v Fiji, Aviva Stadium, Dublin

• Scotland v Australia, Scottish Gas Stadium, Edinburgh

Round six - Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22

• England v New Zealand, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

• Scotland v Japan, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh

• Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium, Dublin

• Italy v Fiji, Bluenergy Stadium, Udine

• France v Argentina, Stade de France, Saint-Denis

• Wales v Australia, Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Finals weekend - Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29

• Sixth placed North v Sixth placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

• Third placed North v Third placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

• Fifth placed North v Fifth placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

• Second placed North v Second placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

• Fourth placed North v Fourth placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

• First placed North v First placed South, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

Experience the Nations Championship Live With LiveRugbyTickets

At LiveRugbyTickets, we're delighted to be able to offer tickets for the 2026 Nations Championship, giving you the opportunity to support your favourite team, whether that's England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland, live and in-person in stadiums across the UK and Europe.

Our ticketing platform delivers a seamless and secure process, allowing our customers to purchase tickets from vetted resellers and attend Nations Championship matches with confidence at grounds like Twickenham, the Stade de France, Aviva Stadium, Murrayfield and beyond.

Don't miss your chance to see some of the world's top rugby players in the flesh --- grab your Nations Championship 2026 tickets today!