London to host first finals of rugby's Nations Championship

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- Matt Hughes

Rugby union's powerbrokers have reached a staging agreement for the Nations Championship that will mean the first set of finals are held in London, before moving to Qatar and then possibly the United States, in a major global expansion of the sport.

Under radical plans expected to be signed off later this month, Twickenham would stage the first Nations Championship final in 2026, before the biennial six-match series moves to Qatar two years later, with a further option to go to America in 2030.

Qatar had hoped to stage the first four Nations Championship finals and were granted exclusive negotiating rights by the 12 biggest unions this summer after offering guaranteed returns of £800m, but their bid was blocked by the Irish and French unions due to uncertainty over attendances and concerns over the country's human rights record.