Nations Championship Southern Hemisphere fixtures announced

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 10: Scotland's Pierre Schoeman during The Famous Grouse Nations Series match between Scotland and South Africa at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, on November 10, 2024, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The Nations Championship, which kicks off in July, will see the 12 strongest teams and players in international rugby competing to win rugby’s newest titles and silverware. The season will culminate in a unique Finals weekend in London.  

In round 1 on Saturday 4 July, Scotland take on Argentina at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba. They last visited this stadium in 2014 where they narrowly beat The Pumas, 19-21.  

The following round on Saturday 11 July, Scotland will visit the Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. This will be the first time that the two sides will meet in the famous 2010 FIFA World Cup stadium. The last time that Scotland played against the Springboks in South Africa was in 2014 when they lost 55-6 in Port Elizabeth.  

The third round will see Scotland take on Fiji at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Saturday 18 July. The game is designated as a home fixture for Fiji, who will play a series of three matches in the July Nations Championship schedule, also taking on England and Wales in Liverpool and Cardiff respectively. 

As part of the new format, the 12 competing nations will be split into the two groups of six teams, representing the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. They will each play six fixtures against a different opponent from their rival hemisphere group – three in July (Southern Series) and three in November (Northern Series). Match points are on offer across the July and November chapters of the tournament, which will dictate the table standings per Hemisphere group to create the schedule of fixtures for the Nations Championship Finals Weekend in London.  

The Finals Weekend is a new concept for rugby union and will deliver three days of double-headers at Allianz Stadium, in London, creating a dramatic climax to the tournament. The 1st ranked team in the Northern Hemisphere group, and the 1st ranked team representing the Southern Hemisphere, will battle to be named the first ever Champion of the new tournament.  

Ticketing information for the South Africa and Argentina fixtures will be announced soon. Sign-up to the Scottish Rugby mailing list to find out more about tickets and multi-match packages for Fiji v Scotland and Scotland’s Nations Championship home games this November. The Fiji v Scotland fixture will be included in the Season Pass 2026/27.