2026 Nations Championship fixtures confirmed: England get nightmare start
Rugby NewsMonday, 17 November 2025 at 09:39
England’s Nations Championship fixtures for the inaugural 2026 tournament have now been confirmed – and Steve Borthwick’s men are staring down one of the toughest schedules in world rugby.
The new competition reshapes the traditional July and Autumn windows into a full cross-hemisphere battle, delivering meaningful Test matches every two years outside World Cups and Lions tours.
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How the Nations Championship works
Twelve of the world’s top rugby nations have been split into two groups:
Northern Hemisphere (Six Nations sides)
- England
- France
- Ireland
- Italy
- Scotland
- Wales
Southern Hemisphere (SANZAAR + Japan & Fiji)
- Argentina
- Australia
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- Japan
- Fiji
Each Northern Hemisphere team heads south in July for three matches, before the Southern Hemisphere teams travel north in November for the return fixtures. Points from both windows decide the group standings and who reaches the Finals Weekend.
Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium will host all six finals matches across a three-day festival of rugby, with the top Northern side facing the top Southern side to be crowned the first-ever Nations Championship winners.
England’s 2026 Nations Championship fixtures
July Tour (Away)
Round 1 – 4 July 2026
South Africa vs England
South Africa vs England
Round 2 – 11 July 2026
Fiji vs England
Fiji vs England
Round 3 – 18 July 2026
Argentina vs England
Argentina vs England
Autumn (Home at Twickenham)
Round 4 – 8 November 2026
England vs Australia
England vs Australia
Round 5 – 14 November 2026
England vs Japan
England vs Japan
Round 6 – 21 November 2026
England vs New Zealand
England vs New Zealand
2026 Nations Championship fixtures
4 July
New Zealand v France
Japan v Italy
South Africa v England
Australia v Ireland
Fiji v Wales
Argentina v Scotland
11 July
New Zealand v Italy
Japan v Ireland
South Africa v Scotland
Australia v France
Fiji v England
Argentina v Wales
18 July
Japan v France
Australia v Italy
South Africa v Wales
New Zealand v Ireland
Fiji v Scotland
Argentina v England
6-8 November
Ireland v Argentina
Scotland v New Zealand
France v Fiji
Italy v South Africa
Wales v Japan
England v Australia
13-15 November
France v South Africa
Wales v New Zealand
Ireland v Fiji
Italy v Argentina
England v Japan
Scotland v Australia
21 November
England v New Zealand
Ireland v South Africa
France v Argentina
Scotland v Japan
Italy v Fiji
Wales v Australia
Finals Weekend
27 November
Sixth-place North v Sixth-place South
Third-place North v Third-place South
28 November
Fifth-place North v Fifth-place South
Second-place North v Second-place South
29 November
Fourth-place North v Fourth-place South
First-place North v First-place South
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