How to watch Nations Championship 2026: FREE live streams for rugby tournament | Tech Radar
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How to watch Nations Championship 2026: FREE streams, TV channels, schedule for new rugby tournament
The ambitious competition brings silverware and substance to the international windows
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Watch Nations Championship 2026 free on ITVX (UK) / Rugbypass TV(US) / Virgin Media Play (Ireland)
Nations Championship 2026: Saturday, July 4 – Sunday, November 29
Watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams as the world's 12 best teams face off in the first northern vs southern hemisphere tournament of its kind. The new biennial competition unites the convoluted July and November international windows under one banner, bringing both silverware and substance to the table.
In essence, it's a stripped-back World Cup with a Ryder Cup element – more on that just below.
The northern contingent comprises the Six Nations sides, while the south is represented by the four Rugby Championship sides, plus invitational participants Japan (even though it’s actually in the northern hemisphere), and Fiji.
Between them, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia have won all but one of the 10 editions of the Rugby World Cup, but while the back-to-back reigning champion Springboks continue to serve as the gold standard, the All Blacks and Wallabies have been in decline. France and Ireland, meanwhile, have emerged as genuine forces on the global stage.
Argentina and Italy have shaken up the traditional order within their respective groupings, while Scotland and England are equally capable of going toe-to-toe with the best and embarrassing themselves against the worst.
The southern nations have the more consistent schedule, and New Zealand have hit the jackpot by drawing home advantage for their clashes with Ireland and France.
The northern and southern hemisphere teams will each face off, either at home or away, across six rounds of fixtures, after which the geographic group standings will determine the matchups on Finals Weekend, a three-day festival that will culminate in the best of the north facing the best of the south in the Nations Championship decider.
The second-, third-, fourth, fifth- and sixth-placed teams will each face their opposite number too, with the results contributing to a first-to-four, Ryder Cup-style Hemisphere Group Challenge running parallel to the primary competition.
Every Finals Weekend game will be worth one point, but the Nations Championship final will be worth two. Similarly, any games that end in a draw will go to a 10-minute period of extra time with a Golden Goal-style Golden Point, apart from the final, which will go to two 10-minute periods of extra time, followed by a place-kicking shootout if the teams still can't be separated.
Here's how to watch Nations Championship 2026 from anywhere in the world.
Saturday, July 4 8.10am – New Zealand vs France 9.40am – Japan vs Italy 11.10am – Australia vs Ireland 2.10pm – Fiji vs Wales 4.40pm – South Africa vs England 8.10pm – Argentina vs Scotland
Saturday, July 11 6.10am – New Zealand vs Italy 8.40am – Australia vs France 11.10am – Japan vs Ireland 2.10pm – Fiji vs England 4.40pm – South Africa vs Scotland 8.10pm – Argentina vs Wales
Saturday, July 18 8.10am – New Zealand vs Ireland 9.40am – Japan vs France 11.10am – Australia vs Italy 2.10pm – Fiji vs Scotland 4.40pm – South Africa vs Wales 8.10pm – Argentina vs England
Saturday, November 7 11.40am – Italy vs South Africa 2.10pm – Scotland vs New Zealand 4.40pm – Wales vs Japan 8.10pm – France vs Fiji
Friday, November 13 8.10pm – France vs South Africa
Saturday, November 14 11.40am – Italy vs Argentina 2.10pm – Wales vs New Zealand 4.40pm – England vs Japan 8.10pm – Ireland vs Fiji
Saturday, November 21 2.10pm – England vs New Zealand 2.10pm – Scotland vs Japan 4.40pm – Ireland vs South Africa 4.40pm – Italy vs Fiji 8.10pm – France vs Argentina 8.10pm – Wales vs Australia
Friday, November 27 4.40pm – N6 vs S6 8.10pm – N3 vs S3
Saturday, November 28 1.10pm – N5 vs S5 4.40pm – Third-place playoff
Sunday, November 29 1.10pm – N4 vs S4 4.40pm – 2026 Nations Championship final
Can you watch Nations Championship 2026 for free?
Yes. Every Nations Championship game is free-to-air on ITVX in the UK, on Rugbypass TV in the US, and on Virgin Media Play in Ireland. Wallabies games are also available to watch on 9 Now in Australia.
Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch Nations Championship 2026 for free as if you were right at home.
Use a VPN to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams
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How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in the US
Every Nations Championship 2026 game is free-to-air on Rugbypass TV in the US.
Outside the US for a game? Use Nord VPN to access your usual coverage.
How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in the UK
In the UK, every Nations Championship 2026 game will be free-to-air on either ITV1 or ITV4, with live streaming available via the ITVX streaming service.
Welsh-language coverage of every Wales game will be available on S4C, which can be streamed live through BBC i Player or S4C Clic.
If you're out of the UK but still want to tune in, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere.
How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in Australia
Nations Championship 2026 is split between free-to-air Channel 9 and Stan Sport in Australia.
Every Wallabies home game will be shown on Channel 9, with live streaming available via 9 Now.
Stan Sport, meanwhile, is providing coverage of every Nations Championship game. Stan Sport costs AU
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like Nord VPN to watch all the action as if you were back home.
How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in Canada
In Canada, Nations Championship 2026 is exclusive to Premier Sports.
You'll need either the CA
If you're out of Canada but don't want to miss out, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere.
How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in South Africa
The Nations Championship is being shown on Super Sport in South Africa.
You'll need the DStv Access package to watch every game of the tournament, with prices starting at Rs 99/month for live streaming.
Abroad right now? Use a VPN to tell your device that you're back home and you'll be good to go.
How to watch Nations Championship 2026 live streams in New Zealand
Sky Sport NZ is providing comprehensive Nations Championship 2026 coverage in New Zealand.
You can access Sky Sport through satellite TV or get a live stream, with the Sky Sport Now subscription service starting at
Missing a match due to work commitments abroad? Nord VPN will give you access to your home streaming service.
Is the Nations Championship the same as the Nations Cup?
The Nations Championship and Nations Cup are separate competitions. The former is a between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR, while the latter is organised by World Rugby.
Since the Nations Championship almost exclusively comprises Tier 1 teams, and the Nations Cup emerging rugby nations, there's no overlap between the two events.
However, Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR have raised the prospect of a relegation/promotion system in the future.
The inaugural Nations Championship runs from Saturday, July 4 to Sunday, November 29, with three rounds taking place in July, and four – including Finals Weekend – being held in November.
The competition will take place every two years, avoiding years in which a Rugby World Cup or British & Irish Lions tour takes place.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.
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- Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
- Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards
