TORONTO — Canada has learned its 2026 rugby road map with confirmation of the new men’s World Rugby Nations Cup.
Next year marks the start of World Rugby’s new biennial global competition featuring teams from both hemispheres in the existing July and November windows
In 2026, the top 12 teams will take part in the World Rugby Nations Championship, while Canada and the other 11 qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup will compete in the second-tier World Rugby Nations Cup.
Teams in the Nations Cup will be divided into two regional pools, one comprising teams from the Americas (Canada, Chile, Uruguay and the U.S.) and Pacific (Tonga) and the other featuring sides from Europe (Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Spain), Africa (Zimbabwe) and Asia (Hong Kong). The winner of Tuesday’s match between Belgium and Samoa in the final World Cup qualification tournament will complete the Nations Cup field.
Each team will face all six opponents from the opposite pool with three matches in July and three in November. In 2026 and 2028, each pool will produce a champion based on competition points.
The exact Nations Cup schedule has yet to be released.
World Rugby plans a similar women’s global competition, which will mean marquee matchups for the second-ranked Canadian women.
“So that gives both our teams now regular and consistent competition,” said Rugby Canada CEO Nathan Bombrys.
While scheduling details are still being worked out, the Canadian women could host some big matches in the fall.
In the top-tier men’s Nations Championship, the Six Nations sides (England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy) will each play three away games in July against the Rugby Championship teams (Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) as well as two invited countries, Fiji and Japan.
In November, those from the so-called “Southern Hemisphere group” will travel north for the remaining three rounds before the finale at the end of the month.
The first “North versus South” finals weekend will be held at Twickenham, the home of English rugby, from Nov. 27-29.
Promotion/relegation between the two tiers on the men’s side is expected in 2023, Bombrys said.
The Nations Championship will take place in every year that does not feature a men’s Rugby World Cup or a British and Irish Lions tour.
Dates and matchups, but not venues for the 2026 Nations Championship, have been released.
World champion South Africa hosts England, Scotland and Wales over successive weekends in July, when three-time World Cup winner New Zealand will be at home to France, Italy and Ireland.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
