How to watch Nations Championship 2026: FREE streams, TV channels, schedule for new rugby tournament

Date:
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 04:10:00 +0000

Description:
All the ways to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams including for FREE in the first northern vs southern hemisphere tournament of its kind.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Watch Nations Championship 2026 free on ITVX (UK) / Rugbypass TV (US) / Virgin Media Play (Ireland) Unlock your stream with NordVPN (save up to 75%) Nations Championship 2026:
Saturday, July 4 Sunday, November 29 Watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams as the world's 12 best teams face off in the first northern vs southern hemisphere tournament of its kind. The new biennial competition unites the convoluted July and November international windows under one banner, bringing both silverware and substance to the table.

In essence, it's a stripped-back World Cup with a Ryder Cup element more on that just below. The northern contingent comprises the Six Nations sides, while the south is represented by the four Rugby Championship sides, plus invitational participants Japan (even though its actually in the northern hemisphere), and Fiji.

Between them, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia have won all but one of the 10 editions of the Rugby World Cup, but while the back-to-back reigning champion Springboks continue to serve as the gold standard, the All Blacks
and Wallabies have been in decline. France and Ireland, meanwhile, have emerged as genuine forces on the global stage.

Argentina and Italy have shaken up the traditional order within their respective groupings, while Scotland and England are equally capable of going toe-to-toe with the best and embarrassing themselves against the worst.

The southern nations have the more consistent schedule, and New Zealand have hit the jackpot by drawing home advantage for their clashes with Ireland and France.

The northern and southern hemisphere teams will each face off, either at home or away, across six rounds of fixtures, after which the geographic group standings will determine the matchups on Finals Weekend, a three-day festival that will culminate in the best of the north facing the best of the south in the Nations Championship decider.

The second-, third-, fourth, fifth- and sixth-placed teams will each face their opposite number too, with the results contributing to a first-to-four, Ryder Cup-style Hemisphere Group Challenge running parallel to the primary competition.

Every Finals Weekend game will be worth one point, but the Nations Championship final will be worth two. Similarly, any games that end in a draw will go to a 10-minute period of extra time with a Golden Goal-style Golden Point, apart from the final, which will go to two 10-minute periods of extra time, followed by a place-kicking shootout if the teams still can't be separated.

Here's how to watch Nations Championship 2026 from anywhere in the world. Nations Championship schedule 2026

Click to see more (All times UK)

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE SERIES

Round 1

Saturday, July 4 8.10am New Zealand vs France 9.40am Japan vs Italy
11.10am Australia vs Ireland 2.10pm Fiji vs Wales 4.40pm South Africa vs England 8.10pm Argentina vs Scotland

Round 2

Saturday, July 11 6.10am New Zealand vs Italy 8.40am Australia vs France 11.10am Japan vs Ireland 2.10pm Fiji vs England 4.40pm South Africa vs Scotland 8.10pm Argentina vs Wales

Round 3

Saturday, July 18 8.10am New Zealand vs Ireland 9.40am Japan vs France 11.10am Australia vs Italy 2.10pm Fiji vs Scotland 4.40pm South Africa vs Wales 8.10pm Argentina vs England

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SERIES

Round 4

Friday, November 6 8.10pm Ireland vs Argentina

Saturday, November 7 11.40am Italy vs South Africa 2.10pm Scotland vs New Zealand 4.40pm Wales vs Japan 8.10pm France vs Fiji

Sunday, November 8 3.10pm England vs Australia

Round 5

Friday, November 13 8.10pm France vs South Africa

Saturday, November 14 11.40am Italy vs Argentina 2.10pm Wales vs New Zealand 4.40pm England vs Japan 8.10pm Ireland vs Fiji

Sunday, November 15 3.10pm Scotland vs Australia

Round 6

Saturday, November 21 2.10pm England vs New Zealand 2.10pm Scotland vs Japan 4.40pm Ireland vs South Africa 4.40pm Italy vs Fiji 8.10pm France vs Argentina 8.10pm Wales vs Australia

FINALS WEEKEND

Friday, November 27 4.40pm N6 vs S6 8.10pm N3 vs S3

Saturday, November 28 1.10pm N5 vs S5 4.40pm Third-place playoff

Sunday, November 29 1.10pm N4 vs S4 4.40pm 2026 Nations Championship final Can you watch Nations Championship 2026 for free? Yes . Every Nations Championship game is free-to-air on ITVX in the UK, on Rugbypass TV in the
US, and on Virgin Media Play in Ireland. Wallabies games are also available
to watch on 9Now in Australia.

Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch Nations Championship 2026 for free as if you were right at home. Use a VPN to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN it does everything and comes with up to 75% off. Exclusive deal

NordVPN get the world's best VPN Not having a VPN is like leaving your
front door wide open in a busy city anyone can walk right in and take a
peek. TechRadar regularly reviews all the biggest and best VPN providers and NordVPN is our #1 choice . Up to 75% off today 3 extra months free Unlocks ITVX, Rugbypass TV, Virgin Media Play & 9Now Get NordVPN and stream Nations Championship 2026 from anywhere. View Deal How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in the US Every Nations Championship 2026 game is free-to-air on Rugbypass TV in the US.

All you need to do is create an account.

Outside the US for a game? Use NordVPN to access your usual coverage. How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in the UK (Image credit: Other) In the UK, every Nations Championship 2026 game will be free-to-air on either ITV1 or ITV4 , with live streaming available via the ITVX streaming service .

All you need is an account, a TV Licence and a UK postcode (e.g.HA9 0WS).
Sign up here !

Welsh-language coverage of every Wales game will be available on S4C , which can be streamed live through BBC iPlayer or S4C Clic .

If you're out of the UK but still want to tune in, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere. How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in Australia (Image credit:
free) Nations Championship 2026 is split between free-to-air Channel 9 and Stan Sport in Australia.

Every Wallabies home game will be shown on Channel 9, with live streaming available via 9Now .

Stan Sport , meanwhile, is providing coverage of every Nations Championship game. Stan Sport costs AU$20/month on top of a Stan subscription, which
itself starts at AU$12/month.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch
all the action as if you were back home. How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in Canada (Image credit: Other) In Canada, Nations Championship 2026 is exclusive to Premier Sports .

You'll need either the CA$79.99 six-month pass or the CA$139.99/year annual subscription to tune in.

If you're out of Canada but don't want to miss out, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere. How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in South Africa The Nations Championship is being shown on SuperSport in South Africa.

You'll need the DStv Access package to watch every game of the tournament, with prices starting at Rs99/month for live streaming.

Abroad right now? Use a VPN to tell your device that you're back home and you'll be good to go. How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in New Zealand Sky Sport NZ is providing comprehensive Nations Championship 2026 coverage in New Zealand.

You can access Sky Sport through satellite TV or get a live stream, with the Sky Sport Now subscription service starting at $29.99 per day or $54.99 per month.

Missing a match due to work commitments abroad? NordVPN will give you access to your home streaming service. Nations Championship 2026 FAQs Who are the Nations Championship 2026 teams?

Nations Championship 2026 teams

Southern hemisphere Argentina Australia Fiji Japan New Zealand South Africa

Northern hemisphere England France Ireland Italy Scotland Wales Is the Nations Championship the same as the Nations Cup?

The Nations Championship and Nations Cup are separate competitions. The
former is a between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR, while the latter is organised by World Rugby.

Since the Nations Championship almost exclusively comprises Tier 1 teams, and the Nations Cup emerging rugby nations, there's no overlap between the two events.

However, Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR have raised the prospect of a relegation/promotion system in the future. When does the Nations Championship take place?

The inaugural Nations Championship runs from Saturday, July 4 to Sunday, November 29, with three rounds taking place in July, and four including Finals Weekend being held in November.

The competition will take place every two years, avoiding years in which a Rugby World Cup or British & Irish Lions tour takes place. Disclaimer We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms
and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.



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