Wales will resume their Nations Championship campaign next weekend with three home Tests at Cardiff's Principality Stadium against Japan, New Zealand and Australia, before a final play-off match at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium completes the November schedule. The autumn series marks the next step on the road to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Tournament Format
The Nations Championship pits the six Six Nations teams against southern hemisphere sides South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, plus invited nations Fiji and Japan. Each team plays the six opponents from the opposite hemisphere once, with three rounds already completed in July and three more in November. Results rank teams within their hemisphere, leading to a play-off weekend at Allianz Stadium where corresponding ranked teams face off, culminating in a final between the top seeds.
Wales' July Campaign
Wales currently sit fifth in the northern hemisphere standings after a mixed July. They opened with a six-try 39-24 victory over Fiji in Cardiff, but then lost 35-21 to Argentina in San Juan and were thrashed 43-0 by South Africa in Durban.
November Fixtures
Wales host Japan on 7 November (16:40 GMT), New Zealand on 14 November (14:10 GMT) and Australia on 21 November (20:10 GMT), all at the Principality Stadium. Japan also sit fifth in the southern hemisphere table, setting up a potential second meeting at the play-offs.
Squad Selection
Head coach Steve Tandy, in charge since September 2025, has named a 39-player group. Uncapped players Aneurin Owen, Che Hope and Rhys Barrett are included, while hooker Dewi Lake retains the captaincy. Seb Davies and Taine Basham earn recalls. Notable absentees due to injury include Tommy Reffell, Kieran Hardy and Taulupe Faletau. Fifteen squad members play club rugby outside Wales.
Ticket Sales and Domestic Uncertainty
Early ticket sales suggest empty seats for the autumn Tests, with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) relying on gate receipts for over 50% of its annual turnover after an £18m loss. The WRU's plan to cut either the Ospreys or Scarlets by 2028 continues to cast uncertainty over the domestic game.
Play-off Weekend Schedule
The final weekend at Twickenham runs from 27-29 November. Sixth-place teams play on Friday, fifth-place on Saturday, fourth-place on Sunday morning, and the top-ranked sides meet in the championship final on Sunday afternoon. A parallel hemisphere title awards points for each play-off win, with the final worth two points.
