The Road to London: The Nations Championship 2026

After a blockbuster July series in the southern hemisphere, the Nations Championship heads north this November for three decisive weekends of cross-hemisphere action. Every match, try, and bonus point impacts the tables as Scotland aim to battle it out for position before heading Allianz Stadium, Twickenham for a first of its kind Finals Weekend across Friday 27 to Sunday 29 of November.

How Finals Weekend works

The tournament structure pits six Northern Hemisphere nations against six Southern Hemisphere outfits across six group-stage rounds. Teams are ranked 1st through 6th within their respective hemisphere table, directly determining the match-ups for the showcase event in London.

Every team will play one last match across Finals Weekend. The weekend event pairs sides off directly by position to battle for overall placement and contribute to the Hemisphere Challenge:

• Direct Head-to-Heads: The 6th-placed northern team plays the 6th-placed southern team, 5th plays 5th, 4th plays 4th, and so on up to the 1st vs 1st Grand Final to decide the overall champion.

• The Points System: Seven total points are available across the weekend. One point is awarded for winning each match (6th placed through 2nd), while the Grand Final is worth two points. The first hemisphere to accumulate four points claims the Hemisphere Challenge trophy.

The Story So Far

Scotland laid a strong foundation during the Southern Series, placing them second in the Northern Hemisphere table, just a point behind leaders, France.

The campaign opened in Córdoba with a dynamic seven-try display to earn a 47-38 win over Argentina, featuring a debut score for Gregor Hiddleston. Scotland then pushed back-to-back world champions South Africa at high altitude in Pretoria, securing a losing bonus point in a 42-28 battle that saw Scotland run the two-time World Champions close for large portions of the match. The series concluded with Fiji bringing their “home” fixture to Scottish Gas Murrayfield, where a second-half surge delivered 26 unanswered points and a 33-17 victory.

The November Deciders

As the tables currently stand, finishing second would set up a 2nd vs 2nd clash against New Zealand in London. However, with three home fixtures against the All Blacks, Australia, and Japan at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, the standings can and will fluctuate before the final match-ups are locked in.

Although tickets for the All Blacks game sold out a few weeks ago there are still a few places available in Terrace 22, the premium covered pre-match space within the stadium grounds. Supporters looking to back the team before the trip to London can also secure tickets for the visits of Australia and Japan via the official Scottish Rugby Ticketing Page below.

Buy tickets here