Nations Cup 2026: Los Pumas join rugby’s game-changing tournament | OneFootball

The brand-new tournament will unite the powerhouses of the north and south in a biennial format, with 12 national teams divided by hemisphere. What will happen with Los Pumas?

World Rugby has confirmed the arrival of the Nations Cup, a competition that promises to revolutionize the international rugby calendar. The tournament, which will be held every two years starting in 2026, will bring together the twelve most important rugby nations in the world, aiming to balance matchups between teams from the northern and southern hemispheres. Representing Europe will be France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Italy, while New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Fiji, and Japan will represent the southern hemisphere.

The Nations Cup 2026: What the new tournament will be like

With the arrival of the Nations Cup in 2026, international rugby is heading toward a historic restructuring. This tournament will bring together the twelve most important teams in the world, aiming to provide a competitive and organized framework for the traditional clashes between northern and southern hemisphere teams.

France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Italy will represent Europe, while New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Fiji, and Japan will do the same from the south. The competition will be biennial and will use the international windows in July and November, with a format that combines conference matchups and interregional clashes. The tournament’s design ensures that all teams face each other in a balanced way, avoiding calendar congestion and extensive travel.

The final phase of the Nations Cup will be played at a single venue, where placement matches will be held and the champion will be crowned. Although it has not yet been confirmed which country will host this stage, the idea is to focus sporting and media attention on a spectacular finale, similar to a condensed World Cup.

The first edition will take place in a transitional context, as logistical aspects and criteria for home advantage still need to be defined, especially for Pacific teams like Fiji, who might play their “home” matches in European territory.

The federations involved are still negotiating the details of tours and travel. For example, the president of the French Federation, Florian Grill, has indicated that his team will face New Zealand, Australia, and Japan in July.

Meanwhile, British media report that England would play against Los Pumas, Fiji, and South Africa, while Ireland would include matches against Australia, the All Blacks, Japan, Fiji, and Argentina in their schedule. So far, there are no official confirmations about these matchups, but the full calendar is expected to be announced before the end of this year.

For Los Pumas, the arrival of the Nations Cup represents both an opportunity and a challenge. The Argentine national team, which usually plays 12 test matches a year, will lose six matches due to the new format, prompting the UAR to seek alternatives to maintain competitiveness. So far, three matches have been secured in the country during the usual Rugby Championship period (between August and September): two against Australia and one against South Africa, all with venues yet to be determined.

According to the calendar agreed upon by the unions of the south and north, the Rugby Championship will return as usual in 2027, 2028, and 2029, while in 2030 it will pause again to make way for a new edition of the Nations Cup and for extended tours between the All Blacks and Springboks.

In summary, the cycle beginning in 2026 will mark a new balance between tradition and innovation in international rugby: a more integrated global calendar, a regular elite competition between hemispheres, and a renewed challenge for Los Pumas, who will seek to consolidate their place among the world’s best.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.