How to watch Nations Championship 2026: FREE streams, TV channels, schedule for new rugby tournament

• Watch Nations Championship 2026 free on ITVX (UK) / Rugbypass TV(US) / Virgin Media Play (Ireland)
• Unlock your stream with NordVPN (save up to 75%)
• 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.

Nations Championship schedule 2026

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 9Now 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.

All you need to do is create an account.

Outside the US for a game? Use NordVPN 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.

All you need is an account, a TV Licence and a UK postcode (e.g.HA9 0WS). Sign up here!

Welsh-language coverage of every Wales game will be available on S4C, which can be streamed live through BBC iPlayer 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 9Now.

Stan Sport, meanwhile, is providing coverage of every Nations Championship game. Stan Sport costs AU$20/month on top of a Stan subscription, which itself starts at AU$12/month.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN 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$79.99 six-month pass or the CA$139.99/year annual subscription to tune in.

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 SuperSport in South Africa.

You'll need the DStv Access package to watch every game of the tournament, with prices starting at Rs99/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 $29.99 per day or $54.99 per month.

Missing a match due to work commitments abroad? NordVPN will give you access to your home streaming service.

Nations Championship 2026 FAQs