Boks to kick off Nations Championship with showdown with England

England’s boast after their win over the All Blacks that they wish they were taking on South Africa will happen sooner than many think - as they bagged the biggest opening fixture of the newly announced Nations Championship next year.

The 12 team tournament starts in earnest in July where the Springboks will face England, Scotland and Wales in the regular Incoming Tours window and then head off for the second part in November to face Italy, France and Ireland to complete their sweep of Six Nations opposition next year.

The Nations Championship - which will exclude World Cup darlings like Portugal, Georgia and others, will pit the top six Southern Hemisphere nations against the top Six Northern Hemisphere nations in a yearly contest that will rotate opposition home and away.

But while those involved see it as a groundbreaking venture, the partnership between Sanzaar and Six Nations has raised concerns about travel and carbon footprints, as well as a new competition in an already crowded calendar while cutting off any hope of competition for those outside the 12 nations represented.

Following the six rounds, the Nations Championship will culminate in a first-of-its-kind Finals Weekend, which will be hosted at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in London next November.

England (4 July), Scotland (11 July) and Wales (18 July) will head to South Africa for the midyear tests, while it was also confirmed that the Boks will face Italy (weekend of 6-8 November), France (weekend of 13-15 November) and Ireland (21 November) in Europe next year to complete fixtures against all Six Nations teams.

The Finals Weekend, scheduled for 27-29 November 2026, will deliver world-class sporting entertainment to fans, with three days of double headers taking centre stage at the Allianz Stadium in London. A totally new concept for rugby union, the Finals Weekend adds a dramatic climax to the tournament, where every fixture matters to every team, and creates an unmissable experience for players and fans alike.

The top-ranked teams in the Southern and Northern Hemisphere will battle it out to be named the first ever Champion of the new tournament. Adding to the competitive jeopardy of the Finals Weekend, teams will also be competing to earn points for their group to decide the dominant Hemisphere in the sport that year.

By the conclusion of the Nations Championship Finals Weekend, players and fans will know the best nation in the sport, and where the balance of power lies between the two hemispheres, outside a Rugby World Cup. The Finals weekend will be played like Golf’s Ryder Cup with points on offer for each hemisphere in a power battle that determines who is the stronger hemisphere.

The Nations Championship will not take place in 2027 as it’s a Rugby World Cup year, with a full Castle Lager Rugby Championship also on the schedule. In 2028, the Nations Championship schedule will be reversed, with France, Ireland and Italy coming to South Africa, while the Boks will face England, Scotland and Wales in the UK.

Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, said: “The Nations Championship will transform the existing international windows in July and November, which means every test will now count for more than just bragging rights and world ranking points.

“This new competition changes the global game as we know it, and from SA Rugby and the Springboks’ side, we are very excited about what the future holds.

“Kicking off with tests against England, Scotland and Wales will provide the Boks with three tough tests and just the right preparation for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against the All Blacks, which follows in August.

“Scotland’s last visit to South Africa was in 2014, England haven’t been here since 2018, and Wales last came to us in 2022, so we can’t wait to welcome them back.”

Venues and kick-off times for the Boks’ three home tests next July will be confirmed by SA Rugby in due course.

All 12 nations will compete for points – four for a win, two for a draw, zero for a loss, and bonus points for scoring four or more tries and losing by seven points or fewer – to determine the standings in their respective groups. These points earned during the July and November rounds will ultimately decide the schedule of fixtures for the Finals Weekend.

Following confirmation of the Nations Championship and the joint venture underpinning its creation, Brendan Morris, CEO of SANZAAR said: “The establishment of The Nations Championship is an historic and exciting move for rugby that will see the SANZAAR Member Unions, with the addition of Fiji and Japan, take on the best of Europe and the Northern Hemisphere on a biennial basis.

“SANZAAR nations have a proud and successful record at international level. Our aim is to continue this record, and the Nations Championship, along with our rugby calendar for the 2026-2030 period, will provide the perfect pathway for continued success.

“We warmly welcome our Pacific neighours Japan and Fiji into the tournament, as part of our ‘team’. The participating teams are excited, the broadcasters are excited, and the fans are excited, and we very much look forward to July 2026 when it all kicks-off.”

Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby, said: “The Nations Championship has the power to redefine the future of rugby, and the partnership between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR signals a tectonic shift in the sport.

“Rugby’s strongest nations have collaborated with a clear vision to grow the game, by challenging traditional ways of operating to create a tournament structure with genuine global relevance, which will unlock the true value of the sport.”

“The world’s biggest and best championships are defined by intense sporting drama, and the Nations Championship will stand alongside these. The Finals Weekend will add a totally new dimension for fans, and promises to create an incredible spectacle, crown Champions, and act as a catalyst to grow rugby’s reach, globally.

“By bringing together the best teams and players in the sport and injecting another layer to the fierce cross hemisphere rivalries, the Nations Championship will take international rugby to new heights.”

Who will be competing in the Nations Championship:

Representing the Northern Hemisphere:

England

France

Ireland

Italy

Scotland

Wales

Representing the Southern Hemisphere:

Argentina

Australia

New Zealand

South Africa

Japan

Fiji

Important Information:

The full list of July and November Nations Championship fixtures can be found HERE

Registration for Nations Championship Finals Weekend tickets and information is now open HERE

Venues and KO times per fixture across July and November will be announced in due course.

Broadcast coverage and commercial partnership announcements will be made in due course.

Key sporting details, including points system, will be communicated soon.

The Nations Championship has been created by Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR as part of a broader package of global calendar reform that has been shaped with input from across the game, including players and their associations, teams, leagues, unions, federations, and World Rugby. It is the product of game wide collaboration.

World Rugby will be leading the creation of a second division tournament, the World Rugby Nations Cup, featuring twelve Rugby World Cup qualified nations, further information can be found at https://www.world.rugby/