The Nations Championship Explained
What the Nations Championship means for the All Blacks
International rugby gets a brand new look in 2026 with the launch of the Nations Championship bringing together the 12 best teams in test rugby.
What is the Nations Championship?
For the first time, in 2026, the world’s finest rugby nations from both hemispheres will compete in one connected competition rather than isolated test windows, culminating in a Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium Twickenham over the last weekend of November.
For All Blacks supporters, the competition adds mana to the regular international rugby season. Rather than standalone July Tests or traditional Northern Tours, every fixture now contributes towards tournament standings and Finals Weekend seedings.
Watch Now: The Nations Championship Explained
The competition will be staged every second year outside of the Rugby World Cup and Lions Tours and will bring some structure and added spice to what has historically been a fractured part of the international game.
The All Blacks kick off their inaugural campaign vs France on 4 July at the brand new One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch.
All Blacks' Nations Cup tickets are on sale now and available here with a range of fantastic hospitality packages also on offer.
All Blacks 2026 Nations Championship Fixtures
Phase one of the tournament is staged in the Southern Hemisphere during the July International window, while phase two and Finals Weekend play out in the Northern Hemisphere during the November test window.
SANZAAR Nations the All Blacks, Springboks, Wallabies and Los Pumas are joined by invited guests Japan and Fiji in the Southern block, and are set for a serious showdown with the might of the Six Nations’ England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy.
All Blacks Home Fixtures: 2026 Nations Cup
All Blacks v France
Watch Highlights: All Blacks v France | Third Test, 2025
All Blacks v Italy
Watch Highlights: All Blacks v Italy | Turin, 2024
All Blacks v Ireland
Watch Highlights: All Blacks v Ireland | Chicago, 2025
All Blacks Away Fixtures: 2026 Nations Cup
All Blacks v Scotland
Watch Highlights: All Blacks v Scotland | Edinburgh, 2025
All Blacks v Wales
Watch Highlights: All Blacks v Wales | Cardiff, 2025
All Blacks v England
Watch Highlights: All Blacks v England | London, 2025
All Blacks Nations Championship Hospitality Packages
Latest packages include Official Reserved Match Tickets to All Blacks v Ireland, Eden Park, Auckland (Sat 18 July).
Exclusive pre, during and post-match hospitality options (Heritage, Suite Spot, Unity or Open Side).
Optional two-night accommodation at a centrally located hotel.
Why the Nations Championship matters for the All Blacks
For the All Blacks and World Rugby, the Nations Championship represents one of the biggest upgrades to Test rugby in the professional era.
International rugby has traditionally operated through fragmented northern and southern test match series’ and fragmented one-offs. The All Blacks have traditionally hosted northern opponents during July, followed by The Rugby Championship, and then travelled north for standalone end-of-year tests.
While those fixtures carried major significance, they existed largely as individual events - this new structure upends all of that.
Every test and every point now contributes to standings and ultimately determines Finals Weekend qualification. That boosts the competitive stakes throughout the international rugby calendar more than ever before.
From an All Blacks perspective, that matters. New Zealand supporters are used to every test carrying weight, and the Nations Championship creates another opportunity to compete for trophies on the global stage.
“ThecountdownisonandtheSouthernHemisphereteamsareexcitedattheprospectofhostingthefirstseriesofmatchesinJuly.Theinauguralfixture,andfirstinternationalrugbymatchatthenewOneNZStadiuminChristchurchbetweenNewZealandandFrance,willignitethreeSuperSaturdaysofaction.”SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris
Key players for the All Blacks first Nations Championship campaign
New All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has a huge first year ahead and will need to rely on a mix of experienced talent, whilst also bringing on some of the younger players.
On top of the inaugural Nations Championship campaign the All Blacks will also make an extended tour of South Africa, Rugby's Greatest Rivalry.
That's a big schedule when you aslo include The Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup.
Key All Blacks players who will likely be called on throughout the season include eastablished stars such as Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan and Quinn Tupaea complemented by rising young guns such as Ruben Love in the backs.
In the forwards a mix of fresh talent and older heads will also be required to get through a greulling season, with the likes of Ardie Savea, Codie Taylor and Tupou Vaa'i joined by Josh Lord and Tyrel Lomax.
With a new coaching team at the helm, and the Rugby World Cup looming in 2027, we're sure to see some bolters along the way.
Where to watch the All Blacks in the Nations Championship
Broadcast arrangements will vary by territory and market.
In New Zealand, you can catch every game live on Sky Sport and catch up with clips and highlights also available across allblacks.com and the All Blacks YouTube Channel.
Delayed covered of the All Blacks' Nations Championship home matches will also be available Free-To-Air on Three.
United Kingdom: ITV holds exclusive free-to-air rights for all 42 matches.
Australia: Every match is available live and ad-free on Stan Sport.
France: TF1 is the exclusive broadcast partner for the tournament.
Italy: Sky Italia serves as the exclusive broadcast partner, alongside streaming on NOW and free-to-air coverage for Italy matches on TV8.
United States: Paramount+ (via CBS Sports) is the exclusive streaming home for World Rugby events.
South Africa: Matches are broadcast on SuperSport.
Follow the All Blacks' Nations Championship journey right here on allblacks.com
New Zealand supporters can follow the All Blacks through official New Zealand Rugby social channels.
Tournament news and updates, fixtures & results plus Live Match Centres will also be available right here on allblacks.com.
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Nations Championship tournament structure
12 teams split into two Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere conferences.
The Southern conference combines each of the SANZAAR/The Rugby Championship teams plus two invited nations:
Australia
South Africa
Argentina
Fiji
Japan
The Northern conference consists of the six Six Nations rugby unions:
England
France
Ireland
Italy
Scotland
Wales
Rather than playing within their own conference, teams face every nation from the opposite group once.
Each team plays six matches across two Test windows:
Three fixtures in July (Southern Hemisphere)
Three fixtures in November (Northern Hemisphere)
Some matches are hosted at home (July for the All Blacks) and others away (November for the All Blacks).
Competition points follow the standard World Rugby structure:
4 points for a win
2 points for a draw
Try bonus points
Losing bonus points (7 points or less)
Every point matters because standings determine Finals Weekend positions and ultimate bragging rights.
The Nations Championship November Finals Weekend explained
At the business end of the November fixtures, all 12 teams progress to Finals Weekend.
The top-ranked side from each hemisphere meets in the Nations Championship Final to determine the overall champion. The remaining 10 nations play teams that finished in equivalent positions in the opposite conference:
South 1st v North 1st — Championship Final
South 2nd v North 2nd — Third-place playoff positioning
South 3rd v North 3rd
South 4th v North 4th
South 5th v North 5th
South 6th v North 6th
The Finals Weekend creates a tournament finale unlike anything currently seen in Test rugby, and is going to result in some serious bragging rights between hemispheres, not to mention a rollicking good weekend to be had in London!
Nations Championship Tie-Breaking Rules
Tie-breaks are officially decided using the following sequential steps:
Total Number of Wins: The team with the most wins overall.
Head-to-Head: The results of the matches directly played between the tied nations.
Most Tries: The team that has scored the highest total number of tries.
Fewest Disciplinary Cards: If the tie still cannot be broken, the team with the better disciplinary record (fewer red and yellow cards) ranks higher.
Coin Toss / Drawing of Lots: Only used as a final resort!
How Disciplinary Points Work
When evaluating discipline, organisers use a point deduction scale. For example, the official standard for World Rugby penalties include:
Yellow Card: Minus 1 point
Red Card (or two yellow cards): Minus 3 to 4 points.
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Who are favourites to win the Nations Championship?
At the time of writing, the Springboks were odds on favourites to win the 2026 Nations Championship.
Followed closely behind as second favourites are France.
The All Blacks and England rank equal as third favourites to take out the inaugural Nations Championship.
How does the Nations Championship funding work?
Broadcast and Sponsorship: Centralised revenues (such as the massive UK rights deal with ITV and the title sponsorship with Qatar Airways) go into a central kitty.
The 10 Shareholding Unions: This central revenue pool is shared on a prorated basis between the 10 core shareholding unions: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Argentina.
Invited Teams: Japan and Fiji compete as invited guests and receive participation fees rather than a cut of the commercial revenues.
Match day Revenue: Outside of the central kitty, individual unions generally keep the ticket sales and local hospitality revenues generated from hosting their own home matches.
For the Finals Weekend (held in London), match day profits and associated broadcasting revenues are rolled into the central distribution model managed by the Six Nations and SANZAAR.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Nations Cup
Q: What is the Nations Championship?
A: The Nations Championship is a global rugby competition featuring the 12 leading international rugby teams from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Q: Which teams play in the Nations Championship?
A: The competition includes all of the Six Nations teams from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy vs Rugby Championship nations New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina plus invited teams Fiji and Japan.
Q: Do the All Blacks play in the Nations Championship?
A: Yes they do. The All Blacks are one of the founding teams and are part of the Southern Hemisphere conference of the Nations Championship.
Q: When does the Nations Championship tournament begin?
A: The inaugural Nations Championship begins in July 2026, kicking off with the Southern Hemisphere series that will see the Six Nations sides travel south for away matches.
Is the Nations Championship replacing The Rugby Championship?
A: No. The Rugby Championship remains a standalone annual competition. The Nations Championship reshapes international windows outside existing competitions.
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