Verified and updated: November 14, 2026, 5:16 p.m. UTC (12:16 p.m. EST).
The first Nations Championship has reached its decisive November stretch, and the standings already show why the new format makes every cross-hemisphere Test count. After five matches, France and South Africa lead their respective tables on 21 points, with New Zealand close behind South Africa on 20. The remaining November rounds will determine the final rankings and pairings for a six-match Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, November 27–29.
The main change for fans is that the July and November internationals now form one connected competition. Results from both windows feed a single ranking for each hemisphere, and the top Northern and Southern Hemisphere teams meet in the final. World Rugby’s official tournament information confirms the 12-team field, six rounds and finals format.
The Nations Championship brings together 12 men’s national teams: the Six Nations sides—England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales—and six Southern Hemisphere teams—Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. The latter group includes the four SANZAAR nations plus Japan and Fiji. The competition is a biennial joint venture between SANZAAR and Six Nations Rugby.
Rather than treating each July or November series as a set of separate Tests, the tournament ties the two international windows together. Each team plays three matches in July and three in November against teams from the opposite hemisphere. After those six rounds, the teams in each hemisphere are ranked from first to sixth. Finals Weekend then matches the rankings across hemispheres: sixth plays sixth, fifth plays fifth, and so on, ending with the top Northern and Southern sides contesting the championship final.
That structure makes the event more than a final between two leaders. Every team has a ranked match at Twickenham, so a lower-table finish still determines an opponent and contributes to the broader hemisphere contest. SA Rugby’s tournament overview says points from the Finals Weekend matches also count toward deciding the winning hemisphere.
The live table published by SA Rugby lists France first in the Northern Hemisphere on 21 points, ahead of England and Ireland, both on 15. South Africa leads the Southern Hemisphere on 21, with New Zealand on 20. Those positions are provisional while November matches remain to be played; they are not final seeds.
For a practical example, if South Africa holds first place and France finishes first in the North, they would meet in the final. The other ten teams would be paired by their finishing positions. A team’s total across the July and November rounds therefore affects its finals opponent, not just its place in a table. The official tournament summary describes the format as six ranking-based matches over three double-header sessions.
The standings also make the final two November rounds consequential for sides clustered in the middle. One win can shift a team’s likely finals-weekend opponent, while a loss may leave it facing a different-ranked side. That is a format consequence, not a prediction about any particular result.
For Australian rugby followers, the structure creates a direct route from the Wallabies’ November Tests to a defined placing match at Twickenham. Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere group with South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Japan. Its ranking after the six rounds will determine its Finals Weekend opponent from the Northern group.
The broader impact will become clearer after the inaugural edition. The format concentrates high-profile North–South matches into the established July and November windows and gives all 12 participants a final ranking fixture. It also creates a new competitive layer alongside other international rugby competitions. Whether it improves long-term balance, scheduling or competitive opportunity will depend on future editions and how the calendar works for unions, players and supporters.
For now, the verifiable update is straightforward: the tournament is in progress, the top places remain contestable, and the final pairings are still to be set. World Rugby’s November preview confirms that the second block of matches follows the three-round July opening; the tournament host’s schedule places Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham from November 27 to 29.
Twelve men’s national teams compete: six from the Six Nations and six from the Southern Hemisphere group.
The final is scheduled for November 29, 2026, at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, London.
Yes. Teams are ranked first through sixth in each hemisphere and matched against the corresponding rank from the other hemisphere.
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