Spain to play Six Nations side as Rugby World Cup host ambitions confirmed

As announced at the Real Federación Española de Rugby gala, Spain will head to the United Kingdom to face Wales in the weeks leading up to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Juan Carlos Martín, the president of the Spanish Rugby Union, made the revelation, adding that the union will allocate the necessary funds and resources to give a decisive boost to the men’s high-performance programme.

Los Leones and Wales have only met once before, back in 1994, with the Welsh side recording a 54-0 victory in a match played at Madrid’s Estadio Complutense.

Over the last five years, Spain have hosted fixtures against England ‘A’ and Ireland XV, with Argentina their most recent Tier 1 opposition since the 2010s, in a match played in the summer of 2023.

Although 2026 has not gone as planned, the Spanish Rugby Union leadership remains committed to ensuring its national teams deliver solid results in top-level competitions to maximise the sport’s impact.

It is also worth noting that Spain finished third in the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship, having suffered a surprise defeat to Portugal in Lisbon, which saw them miss out on a final hosted on home soil.

As for the World Cup, Pablo Bouza’s side will face the Pumas, Fiji and Canada in Pool C and are targeting a place in the knockout stages.

The Iberian nation qualified for the World Cup in 1999, losing to Uruguay, South Africa and Scotland in what remains their only tournament appearance.

Los Leones came close to qualifying for the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups but were disqualified from both tournaments due to player eligibility issues.

At the same event, Spain also officially announced its intention to host a future World Cup, with the Santiago Bernabéu, Camp Nou and La Cartuja among the potential stadiums included in the bid.

The RFER has secured collaboration from the Spanish government, LaLiga, the Spanish Football Federation and others, with a view to hosting the 2035 or 2037 Rugby World Cup.