TL;DR: All fixtures of the 2026 Nations Championship are available to watch for free on ITVX. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
This is shaping up to be a special year for sport.
The schedule has been ridiculously busy this year. We’ve hardly had time to breathe between the Winter Olympics, T20 World Cup, and World Cup, and now the world of rugby has dropped a totally new competition to grab its share of the spotlight.
The Nations Championship is changing the game. This fresh tournament promises to deliver six rounds of elite matchups between top international sides followed by a blockbuster Finals Weekend. It feels like the Rugby World Cup without the filler.
If you’re interested in watching the 2026 Nations Championship from anywhere in the world, we’ve got all the information you need.
What is the Nations Championship?
The 2026 Nations Championship is an international rugby union competition featuring 12 men’s teams. The teams are divided into two pools of six (Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere). Over two international windows, each team plays all the teams in the opposite pool once. Every team plays three games at home and three away.
After six rounds, a finals series will be contested over three days with each team matched against the same ranked team in the other pool to decide final placements.
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When is the 2026 Nations Championship?
The 2026 Nations Championship is the first edition of this competition. This year’s tournament runs from the first round of fixtures on July 4 to the final on Nov. 29. The first round of fixtures is as follows:
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New Zealand vs. France — 8:10 a.m. BST on July 4
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Japan vs. Italy — 9:40 a.m. BST on July 4
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Australia vs. Ireland — 11:10 a.m. BST on July 4
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Fiji vs. Wales — 2:10 p.m. BST on July 4
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South Africa vs. England — 4:40 p.m. BST on July 4
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Argentina vs. Scotland — 8:10 p.m. BST on July 4
How to watch the 2026 Nations Championship for free
The 2026 Nations Championship is available to live stream for free on ITVX.
ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can livestream the 2026 Nations Championship for free from anywhere in the world.
Livestream the 2026 Nations Championship for free by following these simple steps:
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Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice
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Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
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Visit ITVX
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Watch the 2026 Nations Championship for free from anywhere in the world
$12.99 only at ExpressVPN
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch the 2026 Nations Championship without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream multiple weekends before recovering your investment.
ExpressVPN’s regular 30-day money-back guarantee is not available for any subscriptions purchased during the FIFA World Cup between June 10 and July 11. ExpressVPN remains our top pick for sport, but you will need to pay the monthly rate until that offer comes back into play. Alternatively, Proton VPN still offers that all-important money-back guarantee.
What is the best VPN for ITVX?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee (after FIFA World Cup)
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.
Live stream the 2026 Nations Championship for free with ExpressVPN.
