ITV is staking its claim to become the undisputed home of England Rugby after securing rights to a new competition.
ITV will broadcast the majority of England Rugby national team test matches until 2029 after acquiring the rights for the Nations Championship.
The deal is worth a reported £80-90m ($106m-$120m) in total after ITV was able to outbid competitors following TNT Sports rejecting its option for first refusal to bid for the Nations Championship rights.
ITV will broadcast every game from the inaugural edition of the new competition next year, free-to-air for UK audiences. It will also broadcast every England test match next year, as well as other home nations (Wales and Scotland) fixtures.
The BBC and ITV share broadcast rights for the Six Nations as part of a £63m deal. However, with ITV paying more than the BBC, it is able to broadcast 10 out of the 15 available games.
ITV will also continue being the national broadcaster of the Rugby World Cup since 1991, as it is set to broadcast the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
What is the Nations Championship?
The Nations Championship was announced in 2023 and consists of 12 nations competing against each other.
There will be a European Conference featuring the Six Nations (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy and France) competing against nations from the SANZAAR (Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) and Pacific Conference, with Japan and Fiji invited to compete.
Each nation will compete against an opposing nation from the opposite conference between the July and November test windows. The nations which place first in each conference will play in the Grand Final to crown the champions, with the 2026 final held in the US and in Qatar for 2028.
The July Nations Championship games will be held in the homes of the Southern Hemisphere nations. England’s first three fixtures in July 2026 include games in South Africa, Fiji (played at a neutral venue), and in Argentina.
In November 2026, games will be contested at Northern Hemisphere venues. England will host Australia, Japan and New Zealand for its final Nations Championship games.
”We are on the side of growth and this tournament is a key pillar in a wider strategy,” said World Rugby Chief Executive, Alan Gilpin.
“Combined with the proposed new two-division global competition model from 2026 and cross-over fixtures against high performance unions, performance unions could be playing an unprecedented number of annual fixtures from 2026.”
