World Rugby Nations Cup (2026–)

For the invitational competition with the same name that that ran from 2006 to 2019, see World Rugby Nations Cup (2006–2019). For the concurrent first tier competition organised by the Six Nations and SANZAAR, see Nations Championship.

World Rugby Nations Cup
Upcoming season or competition:
2026 World Rugby Nations Cup
SportRugby union
First season2026 (2026)
No. of teams12

The World Rugby Nations Cup is a second tier rugby union competition for international men's teams, run by World Rugby, that will take place concurrently with the Nations Championship. It is due to consist of twelve teams, with promotion and relegation between the Nations Cup and the Nations Championship commencing from 2030.

In December 2024 when the Nations Championship was initially being planned, it was reported that the second division would initially consist of the 12 teams that successfully qualify for the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup through the qualification process, meaning all the qualified teams for the 2027 tournament would take part in the inaugural edition of either the Nations Championship itself or the second division competition. On 17 November 2025, World Rugby confirmed that the second division competition would be called the World Rugby Nations Cup.

At the same time, it was announced that in Rugby World Cup and British & Irish Lions years, when the Nations Championship and Nations Cup are not played, 'cross competition matches' between the Nations Championship teams and the Nations Cup teams will be prioritised.

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