2026 Six Nations fixtures released: Trip to Twickenham up first for Wales



Rhodri Evans

The full fixture list for the 2026 Men’s Six Nations has been confirmed, with Wales set to kick off the tournament against England at Twickenham.

For the first time in Six Nations history, a match will be played on a Thursday night, with reigning champions France hosting Ireland for the opening match of the Championship.

Starting on the 5th of February, the tournament is a week shorter than previous, with only one fallow week breaking up the fixture list.

For Wales, after a trip to Twickenham on the first weekend, they welcome France and Scotland to the Principality Stadium in the first block of matches.

After the break, Wales travel to Ireland on Friday March 6th, before playing Italy on Super Saturday. ‘Le Crunch’ – France vs England – closes the tournament, with Ireland hosting Scotland the third match of the final day.

France are still to confirm the venues for their games. The French Rugby Federation said in December it had not yet received a satisfactory proposal to stay at the Stade de France, their usual Paris home.

It added it was considering “the various opportunities available” elsewhere.

France played in Marseille, Lille and Lyon in the 2024 Six Nations while preparations for the Olympics in Paris meant the Stade de France was off limits.

All three venues can hold more than 50,000, but none can match the 80,000 capacity and revenue generated by the Stade de France.

Six Nations organisers have also confirmed that the 2026 women’s tournament will kick off three weeks later than the 2025 edition, pushing it to an April start and May finish.

2026 Six Nations fixtures:

Round 1

France v Ireland – Thursday 5 February (20:10)

Italy v Scotland – Saturday 7 February (14:10)

England v Wales – Saturday 7 February (16:40)

Round 2

Ireland v Italy – Saturday 14 February (14:10)

Scotland v England – Saturday 14 February (16:40)

Wales v France – Sunday 15 Feburary (15:10)

Round 3

England v Ireland – Saturday 21 February (14:10)

Wales v Scotland – Saturday 21 February (16:40)

France v Italy – Sunday 22 February (15:10)

Round 4

Ireland v Wales – Friday 6 March (20:10)

Scotland v France – Saturday 7 March (14:10)

Italy v England – Saturday 7 March (16:40)

Round 5

Ireland v Scotland – Saturday 14 March (14:10)

Wales v Italy – Saturday 14 March (16:40)

France v England – Saturday 14 March (20:10)


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