Global relevance of Nations Championship to be tested

The inaugural tournament, to be played in July and November 2026, will reveal whether this is really a new era for World Rugby

- By Craig Ray

Cheslin Kolbe on his way to scoring the Boks' third try during their Autumn Nations Series match against England at Twickenham Stadium in London on 16 November 2024.

(Tom Jenkins/Getty Images)

Much of the rugby world is lamenting that the Springboks did not meet England in this November’s Test window.

After the Boks humbled Ireland 24-13 and England held off Argentina 27-23, they emerged as the top dogs in the rugby world.

As it stands now, a match between England and South Africa would be the unofficial “world’s best team” decider if it were played this weekend.

Unfortunately, that won't happen. Fortunately, the new Nations Championship pits England against the Springboks in a blockbuster opening weekend in South Africa in July 2026.

Organisers finally confirmed the fixtures and format of the 2026 Nations Championship, more than two years after World Rugby revealed its plans for the tournament. In case you were unaware, the Nations Championship is a competition played in one calendar year and features 12 teams from the northern and southern hemispheres.

It’s a joint venture between South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby (Sanzaar) and the Six Nations. Matches will be played in the two existing Test windows in July and November.

The four Sanzaar nations, plus invitational teams Japan and Fiji, will represent the southern hemisphere in the new competition. They will play against the Six Nations teams - England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.

The idea behind the tournament was to give the July and November Test windows more meaning as the games played will all count towards winning the Nations Championship. There is a “finals series” at Twickenham on the last weekend in November 2026 to crown the winner between the best Sanzaar team and the best Six Nations team.