French commercial broadcaster TF1 has strengthened its international rugby offering after securing exclusive rights in that country to the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup (RWC), as well as to the new Nations Championship competition set to debut in 2026.
Under this new deal with the World Rugby governing body, TF1 will continue its tradition of airing the RWC, having broadcast the competition in France free-to-air (FTA) since 1991, with the next edition set to take place in Australia from October 1 to November 13, 2027.
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The 2027 edition is set to feature 24 teams for the first time, delivering 52 matches across seven host cities, and will see the introduction of a round-of-16 after the pool phase.
World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin has now said: “We are thrilled to extend our long-standing partnership with TF1, a broadcaster synonymous with the biggest and most iconic moments in French sport.
“Their passion for the game and commitment to delivering world-class coverage ensure that millions of fans across France will continue to experience the very best of international rugby, FTA.”
TF1’s coverage of the 2023 RWC – which took place in France – saw high viewership numbers, including the tournament’s opener between France and New Zealand reaching a record 15.6 million and the final between South Africa and New Zealand securing an average audience of 10.9 million – the highest figure TF1 had brought in for a RWC match not featuring France since 2007.
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By GlobalDataMost recently, the broadcaster’s coverage of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, which took place in England and was won by the hosts, also broke records, with France’s semi-final loss to England securing 3.8 million – the highest viewership the broadcaster has recorded for a women’s rugby match.
The new deal with World Rugby comes days after TF1 announced it had secured French rights to rugby union’s new Nations Championship, the biennial international tournament due to begin next year.
Under a four-year deal struck with organizer Six Nations Rugby, TF1 will air the first two editions of the tournament in 2026 and 2028, as well as the Summer Nations Series in 2027 and the Autumn Nations Series in 2029.
Across the length of the deal, TF1 will show 112 live matches, including 23 involving the French national team, FTA on TF1 Group channels.
For the Nations Championship specifically, TF1 will air seven matches in both 2026 and 2028, along with six additional test matches in 2029.
The Nations Championship is set to feature 12 of the world’s top rugby nations, having been 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 matches played in July and November every two years. London will host the first edition of the finals series in 2025.
The 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.
Pellissier, executive vice president of business & sports at the TF1 Group, has said, regarding this deal: “This new international competition is a major sporting event that will see the 12 greatest rugby teams in the world face off, and we are delighted to offer it in exclusivity on our channels.
"Thanks to this agreement, we will broadcast more than 120 top-tier international rugby matches from 2026 to 2029. This agreement with Six Nations Rugby strengthens our commitment to offer French viewers the biggest sporting events on FTA television, centered around their national teams.”
