International rugby has a new calendar starting 4 July. Instead of the usual summer tours, the Nations Championship has kicked off: twelve teams, two pools of six — England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales on one side, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Japan and Fiji on the other — playing a full cross-pool schedule across two windows, July and November, before a final weekend at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November where each side faces its counterpart from the other pool by final standing.
But the more interesting story this summer, for anyone who actually follows rugby rather than just the Six Nations on a Sunday, is playing out one tier down. In the World Rugby Nations Cup — the parallel competition for World Cup-qualified nations outside the main group of twelve — Georgia lead their pool after two rounds with a perfect record, ahead of Spain and Portugal.
Why the summer tour became a real competition
Until 2025, July matches were friendly tours: the northern powers travelled south with often experimental line-ups, with no table giving weight to the result. The Nations Championship changes that logic. Every match now counts toward a standing that determines the November pairing and, crucially, the final-weekend matchup at year's end — first against first, second against second, all the way down. For the first time, a July friendly carries the same political weight as a fixture in the main tournament.
The Georgia no major nation wants to underestimate anymore
In the Nations Cup's Europe-Africa-Asia pool — Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong China — the standings after two rounds tell a story anyone who follows European rugby closely already knows: Georgia keep winning, and keep winning consistently. Two wins from two, ahead of a Spain and a Portugal that bounced back after a rocky start, with Romania trailing on a draw and a loss.
It is no surprise to anyone reading the numbers closely. Georgia play a physical brand of rugby, built on a strong scrum and a domestic league — the Didi 10 — that has produced international-quality forwards for more than a decade. It is the same reason Georgia's name comes up almost every time the debate about expanding the Six Nations to seven teams resurfaces. The Nations Cup is, in a sense, the stage a programme that has already earned it on the pitch has been missing.
What to watch between now and November
The real test for Georgia, Spain and Portugal comes in the next rounds, when the head-to- head matches between the pool's top three will decide who arrives in November top of the table. It is worth following not as a minor tournament, but as the place where tier-two European rugby is genuinely growing — often with more consistency than the results the bigger nations post on their own summer tours.
For the full schedule of both tournaments, the official Nations Championship and World Rugby Nations Cup sites remain the most up-to-date sources.
If this format has you thinking about getting back on a pitch — even just a Tuesday-night touch session — on PlaySportMate you can find players and groups by city and level. And if you enjoyed this read, check out what is happening in European 3x3 basketball now that the NBA season is over.
Frequently asked questions
How does the 2026 Nations Championship format work?
Twelve teams split into two pools of six — the Six Nations on one side, the four SANZAAR nations plus Japan and Fiji on the other — and play a full cross-pool round of fixtures across two windows, July and November. The three July rounds run from 4 to 18 July, the November rounds from 6 to 21 November, and the final weekend, pairing teams by final standing (first vs first, second vs second, and so on), is played at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November.
What is the World Rugby Nations Cup and who plays in it?
It is the second-tier competition running alongside the Nations Championship, for World Cup-qualified nations outside the main group of twelve. In the Europe-Africa-Asia pool, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong China each play six matches across the July and November windows.
How is Georgia doing in the 2026 Nations Cup?
After two rounds Georgia lead their pool with a perfect record, ahead of Spain and Portugal, who each have one win and one draw. Romania sit behind with a draw and a loss. It confirms a trend that has held for years: Georgia remains the strongest tier-two nation in European rugby on the pitch.
Why does the Nations Championship send the Six Nations away from home?
Until 2025, Six Nations teams played separate summer tours, often with experimental line-ups. The Nations Championship turns those tours into a structured competition with a table and a final, giving July matches a weight they never had before.