Wales to host Japan, New Zealand and Australia in Nations Championship return

Wales is set to resume its international rugby season with four home matches in the Nations Championship, according to BBC Sport Wales. The team will face Japan, New Zealand, and Australia in Cardiff, followed by a final play-off match at the Allianz Stadium to conclude the November schedule.

The Nations Championship is a global rugby tournament featuring northern hemisphere Six Nations teams—England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, and Italy—competing against southern hemisphere teams including South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and invited sides Fiji and Japan. Each team plays the six nations from the opposing hemisphere once.

The tournament began with three rounds of fixtures in July, with another three rounds scheduled for November. Wales currently ranks fifth in the northern hemisphere standings after a mixed July campaign, which included a six-try victory over Fiji, but defeats against Argentina and South Africa.

The November fixtures mark the start of the road to the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Wales will open the month against Japan, who also sit fifth in their table, with the possibility of meeting twice this November, before facing tougher challenges from New Zealand and Australia in Cardiff.

The final play-off weekend at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham will complete the November schedule and determine the rankings within each hemisphere, which will influence World Cup qualification and tournament standings.