- The Six Nations will hold it’s first-ever match played on a Thursday next year
- France host Ireland in the tournament’s curtain-raiser on February 5, 2026
The 2026 Six Nations will kick-off on a Thursday night with a huge clash between defending champions France and Ireland on February 5 next year.
European rugby’s greatest international tournament has decided to shake things up by moving one game away from its usual weekend slot, with kick-off times also altered.
Friday night Six Nations matches have been a regular occurrence since 2009, but 2026 will be the first time a game will not be played on either a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Doing so has been agreed by the respective governing bodies of all the competing teams and the Championship’s broadcasters.
It is designed to avoid a clash with the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy which will take place on February 6 with the aim of targeting the biggest possible audience by hitting the popular evening slot in France who will be at home.
The venues for France’s 2026 home games are yet to be confirmed, but it is expected they will be played at their usual venue of the Stade de France in Paris.
France versus Ireland will open the 2026 Six Nations – which will be played on a Thursday night
France are the current holders and will begin their defence on a Thursday for the first-time ever
France and Ireland have proved to be the best teams in the Six Nations in recent times, both sharing the last four Championship titles between them with two apiece.
The remaining two round-one matches will take place on Saturday, February 7 with Steve Borthwick’s England hosting Wales – who have finished bottom of the last two Championships without a win – at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
Italy at home to Scotland completes the opening set of fixtures.
Kick-off times have been altered too. Saturday matches which usually began at 2.15pm and 4.45pm will now start at 2.10pm and 4.40pm respectively. Late matches, which usually began at 8pm, will now also start at 8.10pm. Additionally Sunday 3pm kick-offs are now 3.10pm instead.
In round four, there will also be a Friday night match with Ireland hosting Wales in Dublin.
England, who finished second in 2025 behind winners France, are also away in round two to Scotland before hosting Ireland, travelling to Italy and then facing Les Bleus away on ‘Super Saturday.’
For the first time, the 2026 Six Nations will also be played over a six-week block rather than the usual seven with one of the traditional rest weekends removed.
The decision to do so has been criticised in some quarters from a player welfare perspective given that the Six Nations places an incredible physical and mental challenge on the players involved.
It begins on a Thursday night to accommodate the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Italy
From 2026, the Six Nations will play its first three rounds over three straight weekends, then pause for a week’s break, before playing the final two sets of matches.
The Six Nations have said removing one rest week from its competition does not mean more hardship on the players because as part of a new global calendar agreement between international unions and clubs, further recovery periods will be built in elsewhere.
Confirming their 2026 fixtures, the Six Nations said: ‘2026 sees the introduction of the first ever dedicated men’s and women’s rugby calendars, aligning the international and domestic game.
‘The new calendars have been shaped by the players, unions, regional associations, international and domestic competitions and leagues.
‘Within the changes to the calendar, the number of fallow weeks in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations will reduce from two to one.’
