Women’s rugby is set to go up another gear in 2026, starting with the return of the biggest annual event in its calendar: The Guinness Women’s Six Nations, confirmation that the Championship will visit more national stadiums than ever before, and the launch of a new U21 Women’s Six Nations Series intended to strengthen and fuel the player pathway towards the elite level of the women’s game
Riding momentum from Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, and the surge in audience numbers and engagement, the Guinness Women’s Six Nations resumes its role as the biggest annual driver, and heartbeat of the women’s game. Fixtures for the 2026 edition of the Championship get underway in round one on April 11th and include a return to the scene of the historic Red Roses Rugby World Cup triumph on home soil.
The World Champions, and reining Six Nations Champions, will be back at Allianz Stadium ready to host Ireland in the opening round. 58,498 was the previous Women’s Six Nations attendance record set by England and France, in 2023, and with just under three months to go until England take on Ireland, over 50,000 tickets are already sold, with a new Championship attendance record looking set to tumble.
The same weekend, Wales take over the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, one of rugby’s most celebrated theatres, for their clash against Scotland. Round one sets the tone for the 2026 Championship with each union responding to the growing demand and interest in Women’s Rugby, by staging blockbuster fixtures at national stadiums to cater for fans eager to see the stars of the elite women’s game.
In round two, Scotland will write a new chapter in their history, when they play the very first standalone women’s fixture in the main bowl at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. Not content with the just stepping out onto the field to make history, the team are chasing a new record, by beating the 18,900 benchmark to register the largest ever crowd for a Scottish women’s sporting event.
Ireland completes a Home Nations clean sweep of national stadiums in round five, when the green wave breaks on the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, to play the first ever standalone Ireland Women’s fixture at the home of Irish Rugby. Over 12,500 fans have already purchased tickets to set a record before a ball is kicked.
France and rugby are a true love affair, and the national side has taken women’s rugby to some of the biggest venues and fanbases in the country in previous years. 2026 is no different, and the iconic Stade Marcel Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand will be the stage for the round three home fixture. Super Sunday will come to its dramatic conclusion in Bordeaux, at Stade Atlantique on May 17th, with France intent on avenging their one-point loss in the Championship decider against England last year.
In 2025, 151,506 fans attended Women’s Six Nations matches. Unions are already setting local ticket sales records, and with a 38% overall increase in stadium capacity across all stadiums hosting 2026 Women’s Six Nations fixtures, this year stands to be the most attended Championship in its history.
The Guinness Women’s Six Nations is the biggest annual event in the women’s rugby calendar, inspiring the next generation of players, as well as captivating global fans.
Following the success of the U20 Women’s Summer Series, which in just two years has seen 14 graduates from the age grade competition go on to represent their country in the Women’s Six Nations, will evolve into the U21 Women’s Six Nations Series, taking place for the first time in April and May this year. Whilst predominately featuring athletes under the age of 21, the ability to select a limited number of players up to the age of 23, ensures the profile of players who can experience the opportunity to represent their country on the pathway to full international honours is more accessible.
Evolving the Summer Series format, where all teams would compete in a week-long festival format, in 2026 and 2027, teams will now take part in two home fixtures and one away, or vice versa. The format change is designed to echo the training week and travel element of the elite tournament, to better prepare players for the rhythm of the Women’s Six Nations.
To align the elite and pathway competitions even further, Round One of the U21 Series will correlate with Round Two of the Women’s Six Nations, offering an exciting weekend of double headers in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Galway, and the opportunity for fans to attend two fixtures in one day, given the proximity of venues to each other in respective cities.
Commenting the significance of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations as an annual momentum driver for the women’s game, and introduction of the U21 Women’s Six Nations Series, Julie Paterson, Chief of Rugby at Six Nations Rugby said:
“The Guinness Women’s Six Nations sits in the same conversations as the WTA, WSL, and our teams standing alongside the Lionesses, in terms of the contribution to the growth of women’s sport. New attendance records will be set this year, the global broadcast coverage for the Championship mean millions of fans can tune in, highlighting the strong position the game is in. Much like the other women’s sports, the success of the Women’s Six Nations is the result of investment, evolution, and work to create a Championship that not only gives the players the best possible platform to shine, from a robust foundation on which to build a commercially sustainable product.
It is important to remember how young women’s rugby is, and as 2026 welcomes the first fully aligned international global calendar, the Guinness Women’s Six Nations has led the way being the first women’s competition out of the blocks this year. The work is nowhere near done, we need to keep innovating and driving the game forward at pace, and this is why the launch of the U21 Women’s Six Nations Series is so important. The Women’s Six Nations celebrates the elite level of the game, but we need to make sure the foundations are solid, and the pathway to follow in the footsteps of the athletes who have gone before provides a clear line of sight to international honours and become the Six Nations stars of the future.”
With thanks to Women’s 6 Nations
