The July and November internationals are being restructured into a biennial tournament by Six Nations Rugby and South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby (Sanzaar) from 2026. The competition will take place in alternating years, between British and Irish Lions tours and Rugby World Cups, and the two organisations stress that it will not add to concerns over player burnout.
The tournament is set to feature England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy from the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship teams which are collectively known as Sanzaar.
There are two further spaces reserved for invitational unions to join the southern hemisphere group. It will not affect the club calendar and Six Nations Rugby insisted players had been heavily involved in the process, amid growing calls for greater focus on rest and recovery periods between domestic and international commitments.
It said in a statement: “Involved at every stage of developing the new competition has been the international rugby players. This connection has been key in supporting the wider conversations around the club and international calendar taking place in parallel, and to ensure player welfare has remained a fundamental priority in all decision making.”
Alongside the new tournament, World Rugby is set to also create a second-tier competition made up of teams from Europe and the rest of the world, which will eventually allow for promotion and relegation matches. Six Nations Rugby said the tournament would provide “a stronger narrative around the July and November windows” that would “genuinely excite players and bring new fans to the game”.
