DUBLIN – November 17, 2025 – World Rugby has announced plans for an inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup starting in 2026. A new competition designed to increase the level of competitive international play for emerging nations. The competition is set to start a cycle of unprecedented competition ahead of the expanded Men\u2019s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.<\/p>\n
On Monday, World Rugby announced that 11 of the targeted 12 nations have confirmed their participation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 11 confirmed nations are:<\/p>\n
Canada<\/p>\n
Chile<\/p>\n
Georgia<\/p>\n
Hong Kong China<\/p>\n
Portugal<\/p>\n
Romania<\/p>\n
Spain<\/p>\n
Tonga<\/p>\n
Uruguay<\/p>\n
USA<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe<\/p>\n
The Nations Cup positions itself as a critical stepping stone, providing regular, high-stakes Test matches for unions vying to compete on the global stage. It forms the second tier of World Rugby’s global calendar overhaul, sitting beneath the elite Nations Championship.<\/p>\n
World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: \u201cWorld Rugby exists to unite people and grow the game through iconic events like the men\u2019s and women\u2019s Rugby World Cups, and through strategic investment in programmes that expand rugby\u2019s reach, relevance and impact. The new international calendar, featuring the men\u2019s Nations Championship, World Rugby Nations Cup, and WXV Global Series for the women\u2019s game, is central to that mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cCombining with the top-level Nations Championship, the World Rugby Nations Cup provides a strong platform for our performance unions to grow through certainty of test match content competition, competitiveness and commercial revenue for the first time, which in turn will lead to stronger outcomes at Men\u2019s Rugby World Cup, the financial engine that drives the growth of the game from the grassroots up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final slot in the 12-team lineup will be determined by the winner of the RWC 2027 Final Qualification Tournament, which is scheduled to conclude on November 18.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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