100 Days until the Nations Championship kicks off

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 23: A general view as Nelson's Column is lit up to mark 100 days until rugby union's newest global competition, Nations Championship begins at Trafalgar Square on March 23, 2026 in London, England. All roads lead to London as the inaugural Finals Weekend is held at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium in November 2026. (Photo by Karl Bridgeman/Getty Images for Nations Championship)

In 100 days, history will be made when the Nations Championship kicks off and ushers in a new era for the global game. A blockbuster opening fixture between New Zealand and France, in Christchurch, will inaugurate the new cross-hemisphere international rugby tournament.

To recognise the major milestone, London’s iconic Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square became a beacon for the nations that will descend on London in November for the first of its kind Finals Weekend, and a dramatic climax to the new tournament. As the sun set on one of the sporting capitals of the world, the colours and crests of all 12 competing Nations Championship teams illuminated the famous landmark, to celebrate the tournament kicking off in 100 days, signalling all roads then lead to London for three days of back to back international rugby fixtures that will give fans an experience unlike anything else in global sport.

The Nations Championship will see the 12 strongest teams in international rugby compete to win the first edition of the new tournament claim the title of best team in the world, and establish which is the dominant hemisphere in the global game. Adopting a unique Northern versus Southern hemisphere tournament format, there will be two instalments of fixtures across July and November. In July, the Northern Hemisphere teams travel to face their Southern Hemisphere rivals for three weekends of fixtures against three different opponents. In November, the Southern Hemisphere nations travel north of the equator for the final three fixtures before all roads lead to London for the first ever Finals Weekend, where winners will be crowned.

The tournament kicks off on Saturday 4 July when reigning Six Nations Champions France travel to Christchurch to take on the All Blacks. It will be the first Nations Championship fixture but will also be the first-ever international rugby fixture at One New Zealand Stadium, and tickets for the blockbuster opening clash between the two heavyweight rivals sold out within four hours of going on sale.

The opening clash in introduces three Saturdays of consecutive fixtures that dominate the month of July. The strongest teams in the international game are competing for points that will dictate table standings per Hemisphere group, leading into the November set of fixtures where remaining points will be fought over. Total points earned decide the final table standings per group that then decide opponents for the Nations Championship Finals Weekend; 1^st-placed Northern Hemisphere team versus 1^st-placed Southern Hemisphere team, all the way through to 6^th versus 6^th.

Every fixture and point matters to every team in the Finals Weekend, as the Hemisphere Champion title is also on the line, alongside the tournament Champion title.

With so much on the line for every team, London will become the centre of international rugby in November, and with 100 days to go until the tournament kicks off, the illuminated Nelson’s Column serves as a powerful reminder that the famous capital city has been the stage for some of the biggest events in global sport, and the Nations Championship Finals Weekend will join this illustrious roster.

Tickets for the Nations Championship Finals Weekend are now on general sale, with access to ticket options at price points to suit every fan, including day tickets which will give fans access to the two fixtures on a given day. Weekend packages are available, securing access to every fixture across the three days, or there is the ‘Support Your Team’ option, with tickets guaranteeing that fans can watch their team, regardless of the day they end up competing on.

• View the full set of fixtures for the July ‘Southern Series’ and November ‘Northern Series’ HERE
• With all roads leading to London for the Nations Championship Finals Weekend, fans can be part of history by securing their seat at Allianz Stadium. General ticket sale is now open: HERE