Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Football
Netball
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
WATCH: Field of Dreams finalistsAll Blacks' opponents for inaugural Nations Championship announced
Sport Nation • November 17th, 2025 10:00 pm
Photo: Photosport
Northern and Southern Hemisphere rugby are coming together in a shake up of the mid-year and end-of-year international windows starting in 2026, known as the Nations Championship.
The bi-annual tournament will take place outside Rugby World Cup and Lions Tour years, featuring twelve sides split into two pools. The Six Nations will represent the North, while the SANZAAR nations, plus Japan and Fiji, represent the South.
The All Blacks will host France, Italy and Ireland in July, before then heading to Scotland, Wales and England come November, with Twickenham hosting the Nations Championship finals November 28-30 (NZ time). That weekend will see all twelve nations come together in six playoff matches.
The unveiling of the 2026 draw bumps up the All Blacks' schedule next year to 17 matches, including 13 Tests - that's four more matches than this year's international calendar for Scott Robertson's side.
New Zealand will also play an eight-match tour of South Africa billed as 'Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry' in August and September, including four Tests against the Springboks, plus October's Bledisloe Cup series.
"It’s a unique season when you consider all the elements, including the tours we have ahead of us and the chance to host France, Italy, Ireland and Australia in the same year," Robertson said.
"Each Test we play against our Northern Hemisphere rivals will take on extra significance with Nations Championship competition points on the line as teams vie for a place in the inaugural Northern Hemisphere vs Southern Hemisphere Final. There is a lot for the team and fans to get excited about in this schedule.”
NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson believes the revamped international window would bring an edge to it to delight players and fans alike.
"We’re entering a new era for international rugby and this is an incredible schedule for players and fans when you consider the Nations Championship, Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry and a Bledisloe Cup series spread across five months. Fans want to know who the best team is between World Cups, and the Nations Championship will deliver a champion."
Wallace Sititi's namesake homecoming | Scotty & Izzy
All Blacks 2026 Nations Championship schedule
- Saturday, 4 July: vs France
- Saturday, 11 July: vs Italy
- Saturday, 18 July: vs Ireland
- Sunday, 8 November: at Scotland
- Sunday, 15 November: at Wales
- Sunday, 22 November: at England
- 28-30 November: Nations Championship Finals weekend at Twickenham, London.
All dates are in NZ time with venues to be confirmed at a later date.
What is the Nations Championship?
- England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales represent the Northern Hemisphere.
- Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and Fiji represent the Southern Hemisphere.
- Next July, the Northern Hemisphere group of teams will travel to play three rounds of fixtures, with every team playing a different rival from the opposing Hemisphere group.
- In November next year, the Southern Hemisphere group will travel north for the remaining three rounds.
- Points are on offer across the July and November windows towards Nations Championship standings to decide the schedule of fixtures for the Nations Championship Finals Weekend.
- The Finals Weekend will see the No. 1 ranked team in the Northern Hemisphere group play the No. 1 seed in the Southern Hemisphere group to decide the inaugural Nations Championship winner.
Where now for the All Blacks? | Sport Nation Mornings
