After much speculation, the Fiji Rugby Union has confirmed that the Flying Fijians will be competing in the inaugural Nations Championship which kicks off in July 2026.
Fiji Rugby director Leilani Burnes made the announcement last night.
“Fiji will take its rightful place as a permanent, structured competition alongside some of the very best teams in the world. Fiji is now a Tier One nation, recognised and included amongst the global elite. This is one of the most significant achievements in Fiji’s rugby journey.”
Fiji and Japan are the two invitational sides that join southern hemisphere teams in the likes of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Argentina.
They will be competing against northern hemisphere teams including England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
For now the competition will run in 2026, 2028 and 2030 The competition sees 12 of the strongest rugby nations from Sanzaar and the Six Nations into a single premier competition. Each nation will play six matches cross hemisphere which means the northern teams play in the south in July 2026 and the southern teams will travel to the north in November.
The finals weekend will be in London.
