Irish commercial broadcaster Virgin Media has bolstered its rugby coverage after securing free-to-air rights to the new Nations Championship, the biennial international tournament due to debut later this year.
Under a deal struck with organizer Six Nations Rugby, Virgin Media will air the inaugural edition of the tournament, with matches played in the July and November international windows.
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The Nations Championship deal gives Virgin Media the right to show every game in the new 12-team competition, which was set up as a joint venture between the European Six Nations collective (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and Italy) and the main southern hemisphere rugby nations of New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Argentina.
Two more nations will be invited to compete in the tournament, with Fiji and Japan chosen to participate in the first edition.
Tom Harrison, chief executive of Six Nations Rugby, said: “Rugby has never been in a stronger position, leading into 2026 and the debut of the Nations Championship, and the new partnership with Virgin Media Television cements this.
“Coupled with significant investment to fuel the game, this partnership is a hugely significant moment for the sport, giving rugby an incredible opportunity to unlock its true value to drive long term growth.”
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By GlobalDataThe tournament will entail a series of group stage games to decide seedings, before the sixth-ranked Six Nations team plays their southern hemisphere counterpart (fifth plays fifth, and so on). A Grand Final will then be held between the top two nations, reportedly at Twickenham next year, before being staged in Qatar in 2028.
Virgin Media joins a list of major broadcasters that have recently secured rights to the Nations Championship, with ITV (UK), TF1 (France), and Sky Italia (Italy) already signed up to provide coverage of the competition in their respective markets.
The rights, meanwhile, add to Virgin Media’s rugby offering, which includes the imminent Men’s Six Nations, which starts later today, and every major Ireland international game this year.
The broadcaster will also air fixtures from the Summer Nations Series as teams prepare for the Rugby World Cup 2027, as well as the Autumn Nations Series.
Mick McCaffrey, director of news and sport at Virgin Media Television, said: “This is a hugely significant announcement and brilliant news for all rugby fans. It means every Irish rugby international will be broadcast free-to-air for the next four years and really cements Virgin Media Television’s role as the home of top-class international rugby."
