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Rugby Europe Championship 2026 fixtures announced with new final host
By Josh Raisey
Rugby Europe has confirmed the fixtures for the 2026 Men’s Championship, with the competition set to return in February and March next year, ending with the finale in Madrid.
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In the same way Paris staged the 2024 finale, Madrid will welcome finals day on Sunday, March 15. All three matches will be played on the same day, with ticket details to be announced in December.
The tournament will run across six weeks on this occasion instead of seven, and will follow the same format as last season: two pools of four, a round-robin stage, semi-finals, and then the finals weekend.
Reigning champions Georgia headline Pool A alongside fellow 2027 World Cup qualifiers Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Pool B also contains World Cup qualifiers Portugal and Romania, and could have a third as Belgium take part in the World Cup Final Qualification Tournament in Dubai this month. Germany are the final side to complete Pool B.
Pool A also happens to contain the two highest-ranked sides in the World Rugby rankings – 11th place Georgia and 14th place Spain.
Portugal are the highest-ranked team in Pool B in 20th, followed swiftly by Romania in 21st place and Belgium in 22nd.
The tournament will kick off on February 7 when the Netherlands host Spain in Amsterdam and Belgium take on Portugal in Mons.
The semi-finals will take place on March 7–8, hosted by the teams finishing first in each division, and third for the fifth-place final. The Championship will carry relegation jeopardy, with the bottom-ranked side across the 2025 iteration and next year’s Championship dropping into the Trophy division — where Poland and Sweden are currently battling for promotion.
Pool A: #1 Georgia, #4 Spain, #5 Netherlands and #8 Switzerland
Pool B: #2 Portugal , #3 Romania, #6 Germany and #7 Belgium
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