How to watch Nations Championship 2026: Official broadcasters, TV & streaming guide

There are loads of ways to watch international rugby’s newest tournament today – including several ways to watch for FREE. It’s two rounds down, one to go as the first-ever Nations Championship reaches its final round of July fixtures this weekend. Six matches are heading your way across Saturday, and there are options to watch every one for FREE. So far, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand are setting the pace with 100% records, while Fiji, Australia and Italy are the only teams still looking for their first wins. In terms of the battle between the hemispheres it’s honours even, with both north and south having claimed six victories so far. Round 3 has a blockbuster opening, when New Zealand host Ireland at the iconic Eden Park. Then France travel to Japan and Australia welcome Italy. Later on, Fiji ‘host’ Scotland at Murrayfield (here’s why Fiji are playing their home games in the UK), Wales face a daunting trip to South Africa, and England have a date with Argentina. The good news is that you can watch every single second as it happens, and – even better – Nations Championship live streams are available for FREE if you live in the UK, Ireland or France. Below we’ve rounded up details of how to watch the Nations Championship 2026 wherever you are in the world – including details of how you can use a VPN to access your usual streaming services if you’re travelling overseas right now. Quick Guide – Nations Championship dates: 4 July – November 29, 2026 – Nations Championship broadcasters: ITV (UK), Virgin Media (Ireland), TF1 (France), SuperSport (South Africa), Stan Sport (Australia), Sky Sport NZ (New Zealand), Wowow (Japan) – Nations Championship FREE Streams: ITVX, Virgin Media Play, TF1+, 9Now (Australia home games only) – Watch Nations Championship from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free Watch for FREE: Nations Championship free streams Viewers in the UK, Ireland and France can enjoy the Nations Championship action for free. - In the UK, you can watch all 42 Nations Championship games on ITV’s TV channels and the ITVX streaming service. Games featuring Wales are also available with Welsh language commentary on S4C, BBC iPlayer and S4C Clic. - In Ireland, Nations Championship live streams for every game will be available on Virgin Media Play. Selected matches will also be available on terrestrial channel Virgin Media One. - In France, free broadcaster TF1 has the exclusive rights to show Nations Championship matches. Every fixture will be on streaming service TF1+, with most matches also aired on broadcast channels TF1 or TMC. Rugby fans in Australia can watch every Wallabies game for free on Channel 9 and the 9Now streaming service. How to watch the Nations Championship from anywhere Being abroad doesn’t have to stop you watching the Nations Championship. A VPN bypasses geo-blocking by changing your IP address, letting you stream Nations Championship 2026 matches as if you were at home. Tech experts at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide rate NordVPN as world number one, thanks to its low price and unrivalled ability to unblock streaming services. Get up to 75% off NordVPN 🥇 World’s best VPN service ➕ 30-day money-back guarantee ✅ Fast, secure, huge location list 🔥 Unlocks ITVX/Virgin Media Play What Nations Championship 2026 games are on TV this weekend? Round 3 Saturday 18 July 2026 - New Zealand v Ireland Eden Park, Auckland Kick-off: 8.10am BST / 9.10am CET / 9.10am SAST / 5.10pm AEST / 7.10pm NZST / 3.10am EDT / 12.10am PDT - Japan v France National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo Kick-off: 9.40am BST / 10.40am CET / 10.40am SAST / 6.40pm AEST / 8.40pm NZST / 4.40am EDT / 1.40am PDT - Australia v Italy HBF Park, Perth Kick-off: 11.10am BST / 12.10pm CET / 12.10pm SAST / 8.10pm AEST / 10.10pm NZST / 6.10am EDT / 3.10am PDT - Fiji v Scotland Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland Kick-off: 2.10pm BST / 3.10pm CET / 3.10pm SAST / 11.10pm AEST / 1.10am NZST (Sunday) / 9.10am EDT / 6.10am PDT - South Africa v Wales Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban Kick-off: 4.40pm BST / 5.40pm CET / 5.40pm SAST / 1.40am AEST (Sunday) / 3.40am NZST (Sunday) / 11.40am EDT / 8.40am PDT - Argentina v England Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero Kick-off: 8.10pm BST / 9.10pm CET / 9.10pm SAST / 5.10am AEST (Sunday) / 7.10am NZST (Sunday) / 3.10pm EDT / 12.10pm PDT How to watch Nations Championship 2026 in the UK In the UK, ITV has exclusive rights to every Nations Championship 2026 game. All of the matches will be available on the ITVX streaming service, as well as the broadcaster’s terrestrial channels. This weekend: - New Zealand v Ireland, Australia v Italy, Fiji v Scotland, South Africa v Wales and Argentina v England will all be on ITV1. - You’ll have to switch over for Japan v France, which will be on ITV4 ITVX is free to use, but you’ll need to complete a short registration to access the service. You also require a valid TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK. How to watch Nations Championship 2026 in Ireland Free-to-air Virgin Media Television is showing every Nations Championship fixture on its Virgin Media Play streaming platform in Ireland. This Saturday, terrestrial channel Virgin Media One is also devoted to the rugby, meaning you can watch five of the six matches without touching your remote. For Japan v France, Virgin Media Play is your only option. Virgin Media Play is free to use, but you do need to sign up to the service before you can access its content. Watch Nations Championship 2026 in Australia Down under? Nations Championship live streams for all 42 games are available through Stan Sport, which is also home to loads of other rugby action and Premier League and Champions League soccer. It costs $20 a month to add Stan Sport to your general Stan plan ($12 a month). Every Wallabies home game – including today’s clash with Ireland – is also available for free on 9Now and Channel 9. Watch Nations Championship 2026: live stream from South Africa Springboks fans will be hoping their side can add this new competition to their bulging trophy cabinet, and they can watch all the action on SuperSport. SuperSport will be familiar to rugby fans in South Africa, with a host of other tournaments airing on the network. You can get SuperSport on your TV via DStv, or you can stream online. There are various SuperSport packages available, so have a look at what works best for you. US broadcaster for the 2026 Nations Championship In countries where no broadcaster has snapped up Nations Championship rights – including the United States – you can watch Nations Championship games on World Rugby’s RugbyPass TV. It’s free to use, though you do need to register before you can watch any of the action. Live stream the Nations Championship from New Zealand Sky Sport NZ has the New Zealand rights to the Nations Championship, along with plenty more world-class sporting action – including All Blacks games and Premier League soccer. You can subscribe to Sky Sport Now from $54.99 per month or $549.99 per year (equivalent to $45.83 per month). Day passes are also available for $29.99. Watch the Nations Championship in France Free broadcaster TF1 has picked up the rights to the entire Nations Championship in France. Every game will be available on the TF1+ streaming platform, with selected matches available across the broadcaster’s TV channels. This weekend: - New Zealand v Ireland, Japan v France, South Africa v Wales and Argentina v Wales will be on TF1. (Though, seeing as New Zealand v Ireland and Japan v France clash, we suspect you’ll have to watch the second half of the former on TF1+.) - Australia v Italy and Fiji v Scotland will be on TMC. Watch the Nations Championship in Italy In Italy, 2026 Nations Championship games will air on Sky Sport Italia. Sky Sport is a paid-for service available on satellite television and its own streaming platform. Nations Championship live streams in Japan The Nations Championship broadcaster in Japan is subscription service Wowow. Nations Championship results so far Round 1 Saturday 4 July 2026 - New Zealand 34 v 32 France One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch - Japan 27 v 10 Italy Tokyo Chichibuomiya Stadium, Tokyo - Australia 31 v 33 Ireland Allianz Stadium, Sydney - Fiji 24 v 39 Wales Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales - South Africa 45 v 21 England Ellis Park, Johannesburg - Argentina 38 v 47 Scotland Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba Round 2 Saturday 11 July 2026 - New Zealand 47 v 17 Italy Hnry Stadium, Wellington - Australia 26 v 42 France Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - Japan 20 v 36 Ireland McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, Australia - Fiji 8 v 73 England Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, England - South Africa 42 v 28 Scotland Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria - Argentina 35 v 21 Wales Estadio San Juan de Bicentenario, San Juan Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door. 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