Six-Test Super Sunday Set To Open 2026 Nations Championship
The inaugural Nations Championship will begin with a blockbuster six-Test Super Saturday on 4th July as rugby union’s new global competition brings together the leading nations from the northern and southern hemispheres.
Fans will be treated to almost nine consecutive hours of international rugby, with staggered kick-off times allowing viewers to follow every match throughout the day.
The opening fixture of the new biennial competition sees New Zealand host France in Christchurch at 08:10 BST inside the newly opened One New Zealand Stadium.
Other standout matches on the opening weekend include Australia against Ireland and South Africa taking on England.
Fiji will play their home fixtures in the northern hemisphere to ease travel demands and maximise revenue, beginning with a clash against Wales at Cardiff City Stadium.
The final game of the day sees Argentina host Scotland in Cordoba.
The same Super Saturday format will also be used on 11th and 18th July, although supporters in Australia and New Zealand will see fixtures spread across two calendar days because of time zone differences.
The Nations Championship marks a major collaboration between the Six Nations and SANZAAR, who organise the Rugby Championship in the southern hemisphere.
Traditionally, northern hemisphere nations would arrange individual summer tours, while southern hemisphere teams travelled north separately during the autumn internationals. The new competition is designed to create a unified narrative across the Test calendar outside Rugby World Cup and British and Irish Lions years.
Each Six Nations side will face South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Japan and Fiji once across July and November.
Teams will earn points within hemisphere-based pools before a finals weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in November.
The finals format will pit nations against the team that finished in the equivalent position from the opposite hemisphere, culminating in a grand final between the two pool winners to decide the first Nations Championship title.
A Ryder Cup-style points tally across the finals weekend will also crown the winning hemisphere.
Opening round fixtures – Saturday 4 July
- New Zealand v France, 08:10 BST
- Japan v Italy, 09:40 BST
- Australia v Ireland, 11:10 BST
- Fiji v Wales, 14:10 BST
- South Africa v England, 16:40 BST
- Argentina v Scotland, 20:10 BST
Finals weekend fixtures
The competition concludes with a finals weekend between 27 and 29 November at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, where every nation will face its counterpart from the opposite hemisphere.
The headline fixture will see the top-ranked northern hemisphere side face the leading southern hemisphere nation to decide the inaugural Nations Championship winners.
- Display 9 Products per page
