The Nations Championship Explained
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2026 is a landmark year for rugby, with the debut of the Nations Championship. Fierce cross hemisphere rivalries will be put on the global stage when the tournament kicks off later this year, with international rugby fixtures across the globe in July and November, on the way to the blockbuster Nations Championship Finals Weekend, in London.
The new competitive tournament format injects jeopardy and more meaning into every fixture, where a winning team will be crowned tournament Champion, and the dominant Hemisphere in the sport that year decided.
To recap the tournament format, teams competing, how points will be won throughout the July and November fixtures, to dictate group standings and Finals Weekend head-to-heads, and how a winning team and hemisphere will be decided, a short explainer video covers everything you need to know:
