The Autumn Internationals will take on added significance in 2026 with the introduction of a new ‘Nations Championship’ tournament. The competition will consist of six rounds of matches plus a finals weekend, split across the Summer and Autumn Internationals.
Played every two years – in between Rugby World Cup and Lions Tour years – the tournament features two groups of teams competing in a Northern vs Southern Hemisphere format.
The Northern Hemisphere will be represented by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales (the Six Nations teams), while the Southern Hemisphere group includes South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina (the SANZAAR nations), along with Fiji and Japan as invitational teams.
The last three rounds of fixtures in the 2026 edition of the tournament, plus a finals weekend, will be played in the northern hemisphere across four weekends in November.
Autumn Internationals 2026 Fixtures
Venues and kick-off times have not yet been confirmed.