By Joe Santamaria
As the 2026 season draws closer, all eight franchises have now confirmed their squads and coaching staff.
After another historic year for South American rugby in 2025, the new season promises to rekindle old rivalries and uncover new stars.
With major changes in personnel having occurred since Peñarol lifted the 2025 title, the competition has never looked more competitive or as difficult to predict.
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Season overview
The addition of a fourth Argentine franchise means the league now boasts eight teams for the first time in its history.
Each side will face each other twice over fourteen rounds, after which the top four will contest the playoffs. The season kicks off on February 20th and concludes with the final on June 19th.
The competition is broadcast on ESPN & Disney+ in South America.
At the time of writing, there is no confirmed broadcaster outside of South America, although highlights from all the matches are available on YouTube.
Last season’s final was also broadcast live on RugbyPass.
Team Breakdowns
Peñarol
Location: Montevideo, Uruguay
Head coach: Ivo Dugonjic
2025 position: Champions (2nd place after regular season)
Player to watch: Manuel Ardao
After a lacklustre 2024 by their own high standards, Peñarol reminded the region why they are the tournament’s most successful side by adding their third title in 2025.
Under Dugonjic’s leadership, the side played an expansive brand of attacking rugby, much of which was marshalled by fly-half Felipe Etcheverry.
The Uruguayan franchise garnered plenty of headlines when ex-Wales coach Warren Garland joined as a consultant for the closing weeks of the season.
After racing into an early lead, Peñarol just managed to hold on in the final, seeing off Dogos 35-34 in the most thrilling finale in the tournament’s history.
There has been significant turnover in the squad, with several Uruguay internationals not returning for the 2026 season.
The likes of Andrés Vilaseca, Felipe Etcheverry, Santi Alvarez and Carlos Deus will play no part in the tournament for a variety of reasons, including university studies and a desire to prepare for life-post rugby.
After a demanding 2025 that saw Uruguay qualify for the 2027 World Cup, there is also an acceptance that players’ workload needs to be managed.
These absences make it difficult to predict how the defending champions will fare in 2026, with several younger players likely to see greater game time.
That doesn’t mean there haven’t been astute additions, however, with the return of the world-class poacher Manuel Ardao chief among them.
The league’s best player in 2023, he returns having spent two seasons in the MLR with the now-defunct Miami Sharks and will add enormous quality to an already formidable Peñarol back row.
Elsewhere, the signing of winger Santiago Marolda bolsters their options out wide.
The Argentine scored eight tries to help Buenos Aires club Newman win the URBA top 12 last year and looks ready to make the jump to professionalism.
Dogos
Location: Cordoba, Argentina
Head coach: Diego Ghiglione
2025 position: Runners-up (4th place after regular season)
Player to watch: Faustino Sánchez Valarolo
Dogos came within moments of a comeback for the ages in last year’s final but were ultimately denied a second successive title.
Nevertheless, the Cordoba-based outfit were rewarded for their impressive displays with more call-ups to the national team than any other Argentine franchise.
Conversely, those players’ talents have not gone unnoticed, and there has been something of an exodus since last season, leading many to conclude that the 2026 season will be a transitional year for the side, who have contested the last three finals.
So much of the side’s recent dominance was built upon a powerful set-piece, spearheaded by a ferocious front row of Boris Wenger, Leonel Oviedo, and Pedro Delgado.
All three have now departed for opportunities abroad, and it remains to be seen whether Dogos can continue to rely on their power game.
The addition of a fourth Argentine franchise means the nations’ resources are spread more thinly, with influential players Juan Bautista Baronio and Lautaro Cipriani among those to make the move from Dogos to Capibaras.
Perhaps most influential of all is the loss of head coach, Nicolás Galatro, who has also made the move to Capibaras and is replaced by his former assistant, Diego Ghiglione.
Despite these challenges, the squad has plenty of quality and may benefit from entering the season with reduced expectations.
After a breakout year in 2025, Faustino Sánchez Valarolo will be looking to establish himself as one of the league’s best players this year.
The centre won his first Argentina cap last year and many are predicting a big future for the 21-year-old.
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Head coach: Juan Manuel Leguizamón
2025 position: Semi-finalists (1st place after regular season
Player to watch: Santiago Cordero
Pampas were forced to endure another season of disappointment, in which they finished top of the table in the regular season only to falter in the playoffs for the second year in a row.
The Buenos Aires side regularly looked as though they had the firepower to go all the way, only to be bested by their old rivals, Dogos in a brutal semifinal clash.
With continuity in the form of head coach, Juan Manuel Leguizamón, and the headline acquisition of 56-cap international, Santiago Cordero, there is enormous pressure on the side to finally claim their first title.
Several key players have departed the side since the end of last season, with the loss tighthead prop Tomás Rapetti and centre Justo Piccardo likely to be most keenly felt.
Pampas have always prided themselves on the quality of their attacking play and have brought in a number of Pumas 7s stars in order to ensure their backline remains as potent as ever.
Fans of the great Pumas side of 2007 will no doubt raise an eyebrow at the sight of the surname ‘Ledesma’ on the roster, not only once but twice.
Young hooker, Tadeo Ledesma Arocena, and former Argentina U20 captain Felipe Ledesma have elite rugby in their blood, but it remains to be seen how much they will feature this year.
The decision to bring in a player of Cordero’s age and international experience appears to mark a shift in outlook, with the league mostly populated by younger players.
Whether or not his presence will lead to more ex-internationals joining the league remains to be seen, but Pampas fans will be hoping his influence on and off the pitch can help them get over the line in 2026.
Selknam
Location: Santiago, Chile
Head coach: Jake Mangin
2025 position: Semi-finalists (3rd place after regular season)
Player to watch: Nicolás Saab
Selknam put together a remarkable run of victories late in the season to power into the playoffs in 2025, but ran out of steam against Peñarol in the semi-final.
Buoyed by Chile’s two-legged victory over Samoa to qualify for the 2027 World Cup, the players head into 2026 with more confidence than ever.
The return of senior players from injury and some smart recruitment has led to a feeling that Selknam are finally ready to claim their first Super Rugby Americas title in 2026.
Chile rugby icon Rodrigo Fernández returns to the team after two seasons playing in Italy, while fellow international Lucas Berti has also joined after a number of years in Europe.
The loss of inspirational captain Martín Sigren to injury didn’t ultimately jeopardise Chile’s 2025, but Mangin will still be delighted to have the flanker at his disposal this year.
In Raimundo Martínez, Selknam have one of the very best jacklers in South America, while explosive wing Nicolás Saab comes in to the season full of confidence after ending 2025 with tries against Samoa and Italy.
Experienced tighthead Iñaki Gurruchaga is the only major loss, having moved to the Pro D2 in France, but Selknam have plenty of cover across the front row.
One area of potential concern is the size of the squad, which is considerably larger than all the other franchises.
This depth may help the side sustain a title challenge if they suffer injuries, but Mangin will need to manage his players effectively if he is to keep the atmosphere harmonious.
With strong signals that Chile will add a second franchise in 2027, this will likely be the final year in which the country’s player pool is concentrated in a single team.
The playing group is as strong as it has ever been and the coaching staff is experienced. The title could well be heading to Chile for the first time.
Tarucas
Location: Tucumán, Argentina
Head coach: Álvaro Galindo
2025 position: 5th
Player to watch: Nicolás Parada Heit
Tarucas won plenty of plaudits in their debut season, in which they remained in the hunt for a playoff spot until the last round of the regular season.
Newcastle Red Bulls‘ scrum half Simón Benítez Cruz proved to be a revelation for the side, scoring a wonder try against Dogos in Round 12 on his way to being named the league’s Most Valuable Player.
Head coach, Álvaro Galindo faces the challenge of building on the promise of last season, while managing the loss of some of its key protagonists.
Along with Benítez Cruz, Argentina international Nicolás Roger and young centre Tomas Medina have moved on to pastures anew.
With that said, the roster still has plenty of talent, with wingers Mateo Pasquini and Tomás Elizalde capable of carving open defences at will.
Like Pampas, Tarucas have also recruited an experienced Argentina international in the form of Matías Orlando, who will add experience and quality to the young side.
Up front, the signing of powerful back rower Nicolás Parada Heit from Yacare looks to be a great piece of business.
Weighing in at over 17 stone, Heit was used as a battering ram to great effect by Yacare and will virtually guarantee Tarucas get front-foot ball with which to release their talented backs.
Yacare
Location: Asunción, Paraguay
Head coach: Ramiro Peman
2025 position: 6th
Player to watch: Ramiro Amarilla
Despite Paraguay’s recent reputation as the weakest of the rugby nations that make up Super Rugby Americas, Yacare always seem to punch above their weight.
Semi-finalists in 2024, Yacare missed out on the playoffs last year but still managed some impressive wins, notably a 36-8 victory over eventual champions Peñarol.
The national team also looked to have made major strides by besting Brazil and winning a spot at the Final Qualification Tournament for the 2027 World Cup, only to give up their place after they discovered an ineligible player had been selected.
The two headline changes ahead of the 2026 season are the change of head coach, with former assistant Ramiro Peman taking over from longtime coach Ricardo Le Fort, and the absence of influential captain Mariano Garcete.
The experienced second row announced he was stepping back for this season to rest his body and focus on his post-rugby career.
His loss will be keenly felt as there are few more abrasive second rows in the league.
Despite Garcete’s absence, there are more Paraguayan players on the roster than ever before, in line with the union’s ambitions to use the tournament to gradually strengthen the national team.
One of the team’s best performers in recent years was Ramiro Amarilla, whose national team selection was deemed ineligible last year.
He is named again and his performances will be crucial in what promises to be the toughest year in the tournament’s history.
Cobras
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Head coach: Josh Reeves
2025 position: 7th
Player to watch: Rosko Specman
Cobras endured a disappointing 2025 campaign, in which they finished bottom of the table and failed to win a game.
Likewise, the national team underperformed against Paraguay and, when they were gifted a spot at the Final Qualification Tournament, their performances improved, but they still lost all three matches.
Their 2026 roster contains ten non-Brazilian qualified players, which is double the number they had last year, as they look to be more competitive.
Last year’s head coach, Emiliano Caffera, left his role with Cobras and the national team abruptly, to be replaced by former coach Josh Reeves, who continues this season.
The side has generated plenty of headlines by bringing in two-time Olympic medalist Rosko Specman as a player-coach.
Specman is one of six South Africans in the squad and will look to drive standards on and off the pitch.
With qualification for the 2031 World Cup a target, the Brazilian Rugby Union know they must improve the quality of their player pool in the coming seasons and will hope the presence of experienced foreigners will help achieve this.
In the short term, a semi-final spot has been mooted as a target for this season, which would represent a remarkable transformation since 2025.
Capibaras
Location: Litoral, Argentina
Head coach: Nicolás Galatro
2025 position: N/A
Player to watch: Lautaro Cipriani
For the second season in succession, Argentina have added a franchise to the league, with Capibaras set to become the latest side to debut in the competition.
While the team itself may be new, the roster has plenty of experience with no less than seven Super Rugby Americas winners joining from Dogos, as well as one of the league’s most respected coaches, Nicolás Galatro.
Former Pampas captain Manuel Bernstein is a shrewd acquisition who will add both physicality and leadership from the outset.
One of the players to make the move from Dogos is electric winger Lautaro Cipriani, who regularly set the league alight in 2025 and forced his way into the Argentina XV.
Still only 22, he will be looking to build on his performances and perhaps even catch the eye of national team head coach, Felipe Contepomi, who has been increasingly willing to draw upon Super Rugby Americas players in recent times.
READ MORE: Super Rugby Americas: Peñarol fight off incredible Dogos comeback to win title
