In 100 days, a new chapter in international rugby begins when the Nations Championship gets underway, bringing together the world’s leading teams in the new cross-hemisphere competition.
In 100 days, a new chapter in international rugby begins when the Nations Championship gets underway, bringing together the world’s leading teams in the new cross-hemisphere competition.
The tournament opens with a marquee Test between the All Blacks and France in Christchurch on Saturday 4 July, the first Nations Championship fixture, and the first international match to be played at One New Zealand Stadium. Tickets for the match sold out within four hours, underlining the appetite for top-tier Test rugby on home soil.
The Nations Championship will see 12 of the world’s best teams compete across July and November, in a format that pits Northern and Southern Hemisphere sides against each other. Northern teams will travel south in July for three rounds of matches, before Southern teams head north in November to complete the round-robin phase.
Standings within each hemisphere will determine match-ups for the Finals Weekend in London, where teams will play their corresponding opponent, first versus first through to sixth versus sixth, to decide overall placings and the tournament champion. The top-ranked teams from each hemisphere will meet to decide the inaugural Nations Championship winner, while the leading hemisphere across results will also be recognised.
To mark the milestone, London’s Trafalgar Square was lit up overnight, with Nelson’s Column carrying the colours and crests of all 12 competing nations. The moment signals the countdown to the Finals Weekend in November, where the tournament will conclude with three days of Test rugby in one of the game’s traditional centres.
With every Test carrying points and consequence, the Nations Championship places a premium on consistency across both windows. From the opening whistle in Christchurch through to the final match in London, each result will shape the path to the title.
Further information on Finals Weekend ticketing, including day passes, weekend packages and ‘support your team’ options, is available via official channels here.