World Rugby confirms 18-match Nations Cup schedule across Europe and Hong Kong in November

World Rugby has confirmed the November fixture schedule for the inaugural Nations Cup, with 18 matches to be played across Europe and Hong Kong between November 6 and 21 as both pool leaders chase the first title in the competition’s history.

Pool A — comprising Canada, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, Uruguay and the USA — is led by an unbeaten United States side after three rounds in July. Pool B, which includes Georgia, Hong Kong China, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Zimbabwe, is topped by an equally unbeaten Georgia. Each team plays every nation from the opposite pool across the two international windows, with the pool winners crowned inaugural Nations Cup champions.

The November programme opens on November 6 when Romania host Tonga in Bucharest. The following day brings a cluster of fixtures: Georgia face Canada in Tbilisi, Portugal host Chile in Lisbon, Zimbabwe play Samoa in Wakefield, and Spain take on Uruguay in Madrid. Hong Kong China meet the USA on November 8 in Bourg-en-Bresse, France.

Zimbabwe’s designated home matches will be played in England and France during this window, while Hong Kong China stage two home fixtures in France before returning to the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground on November 21 to face Tonga.

One fixture carrying additional weight comes on that same closing day, November 21, when Portugal host Uruguay in Lisbon. The two sides are drawn together at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, where a place in the round of 16 could depend on their head-to-head record.

The July phase produced several notable moments, including a 42-42 draw between Canada and Spain that World Rugby described as the highest-scoring draw in Test history, and a win for Hong Kong China over World Cup regulars Uruguay. Uruguay and Zimbabwe remain the only teams yet to record a victory across the opening three rounds.

World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said the opening phase had delivered “compelling, competitive and meaningful rugby” and described November as “a thrilling climax” with two inaugural titles on the line. He added that for every union involved, the competition represents “an important step on the journey to Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.”

The Nations Cup sits within the broader Nations Championship structure, designed to give the game’s top 24 men’s teams a regular schedule of competitive internationals in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup. All 12 unions participating have already qualified for that tournament.