Current season or competition: 2026 Six Nations Championship | |
 The Guinness Six Nations logo | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1883; 142 years ago (1883) (as Home Nations Championship) 1910; 115 years ago (1910) (as Five Nations Championship) 2000; 25 years ago (2000) (as Six Nations Championship) |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Country |  England France Ireland Italy Scotland Wales |
| Holders | France (2025) |
| Most titles | England Wales(39 titles) |
| Website | sixnationsrugby.com |
| Related competitions | Women's Six Nations Championship Six Nations Under 20s Championship |
|---|
TheSix Nations Championship (known as theSix Nations, branded as Guinness M6N[a]) is an annual internationalrugby union competition by the men's teams ofEngland,France,Ireland,Italy,Scotland andWales. It is the oldest sports tournament contested by theHome Nations. The championship holders are France, who won the2025 tournament.
The tournament is organised by the unions of the six participating nations under the banner of Six Nations Rugby, which is responsible for the promotion and operation of the men's,women's andunder-20s tournaments, and the Autumn International Series, as well as the negotiation and management of their centralised commercial rights.
The Six Nations is the successor to the Home Nations Championship (1883–1909 and 1932–39), played by teams from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, which was the first international rugby union tournament.[1] With the addition of France, this became the Five Nations Championship (1910–31 and 1947–99), and the Six Nations Championship with Italy joining in 2000.
England and Wales have won the championship the most times, both with 39 titles, but England have won the most outright titles with 29 (28 for Wales). Since the Six Nations era started in 2000, only Italy and Scotland have failed to win the Six Nations title.
Thewomen's tournament started as theWomen's Home Nations in the 1996 season. The men'sSix Nations Under 20s Championship is the successor to the Under 21s tournament which began in 2004.
The tournament was first played in 1883 as the Home Nations Championship among the then fourHome Nations of the United Kingdom – England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. However, England was excluded from the 1888 and 1889 tournaments due to their refusal to join theInternational Rugby Football Board. The tournament then became the Five Nations Championship in 1910 with the addition of France. The tournament was expanded in 2000 to become the Six Nations Championship with the addition of Italy.
Following the relative success of the Tier 2 nations in the2015 Rugby World Cup, there were calls byOctavian Morariu, the president ofRugby Europe, to letGeorgia andRomania join the Six Nations due to their consistent success in theEuropean Nations Cup and ability to compete in theRugby World Cup.[2][3]
The tournament begins on the first weekend in February and culminates on the second or third Saturday in March. Each team plays every other team once (a total of 15 matches), with home ground advantage alternating from one year to the next. Before the 2017 tournament, two points were awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. Unlike many other rugby union competitions, abonus point system had not previously been used.
A bonus point system was first used in the 2017 Championship. The system is similar to the one used in most rugby championships (0 points for a loss, 2 for a draw, 4 for a win, 1 for scoring four or more tries in a match, and 1 for losing by 7 points or fewer). The only difference is that a team that wins all their games (a Grand Slam) are automatically awarded 3 extra points - to ensure they cannot be overtaken by a defeated team on bonus points.
Before 1994, teams equal on match points shared the championship. Since then, ties have been broken by considering the points difference (total points scored minus total points conceded) of the teams. The rules of the championship further provide that if teams tie on both match points and points difference, the team that scored the most tries wins the championship. Were this decider to be a tie, the tying teams would share the championship.[4] To date, however, match points and points difference have been sufficient to decide the championship.
TheWooden Spoon is a metaphorical award given to the team that finishes in last place; a team which loses all their matches is said to have been "whitewashed".[5] Since the inaugural Six Nations tournament in 2000, only England and Ireland have avoided finishing last. Italy have finished last 18 times in the Six Nations era, and have lost all their matches in 12 tournaments.
| Three home matches | Two home matches | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Even years | France
| Ireland
| Wales
| England
| Italy
| Scotland
|
| Odd years | England
| Italy
| Scotland
| France
| Ireland
| Wales
|
The winners of the Six Nations are presented with the Championship Trophy.[6] This was originally conceived by theEarl of Westmorland, and was first presented to the winners of the 1993 Five Nations Championship; France. It was asterling silver trophy, designed by James Brent-Ward and made by a team of eight silversmiths from the London firm William Comyns. The current championship trophy for the Six Nations Championship was designed and made in 2015 byThomas Lyte, London silversmiths.[7]
The old trophy had 15 side panels representing the 15 members of the team and with three handles to represent the three officials (referee and two touch judges). The cup has a capacity of 3.75 litres (0.8 imp gal; 1.0 US gal) – sufficient for five bottles of champagne. Within the mahogany base is a concealed drawer which contains six alternativefinials, each a silver replica of one of the team emblems, which can be screwed on the detachable lid.
A new trophy was introduced for the2015 Championship.[8]The trophy is sterling silver, contains over fifty individual pieces, stands at a height of 75 cm (30 in) and has a distinctive six-sided design representing the six nations that compete.[9]
A team that wins all its games wins the 'Grand Slam'.
TheTriple Crown may only be won by one of theHome Nations of England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, when one nation wins all three of their matches against the others. The Triple Crown dates back to the original Home Nations Championship, but the physical Triple Crown Trophy has been awarded only since 2006, when the Royal Bank of Scotland (the primary sponsor of the competition) commissionedHamilton & Inches to design and create a dedicated Triple Crown Trophy. As of 2025[update], the trophy has been won five times by Ireland, four times by Wales, three times by England, and yet to be won by Scotland.
Several individual competitions take place under the umbrella of the tournament. Some of these trophies are also awarded for other matches between the two teams outside the Six Nations. Only Scotland play for a 'rivalry' or challenge trophy in every Six Nations match, as well as for the oldest such trophy, theCalcutta Cup. Wales became the last nation to contest such a trophy, theDoddie Weir Cup in 2018, while the newest such trophy is theCuttitta Cup introduced between Scotland and Italy in 2022.
Games which form part of the Triple Crown are markedTC.
| Trophy | Teams | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcutta Cup | England–ScotlandTC | 1879[10] | Made from melted-downIndian rupees donated by the Calcutta Club |
| Millennium Trophy | England–IrelandTC | 1988 | Presented to celebrateDublin's millennium in 1988[11] |
| Centenary Quaich | Ireland–ScotlandTC | 1989[12][13][14] | Named for thequaich, a traditionalGaelic drinking vessel. Marked the centenary of the founding of theInternational Rugby Football Board. |
| Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy | France–Italy | 2007 | Commemorated the 200th anniversary of the birth ofGiuseppe Garibaldi, leader in theunification of Italy and volunteer in theFrench Republican Army againstPrussia |
| Auld Alliance Trophy | France–Scotland | 2018 | In memory of the war dead from the rugby communities of Scotland and France[15] |
| Doddie Weir Cup | Wales–ScotlandTC | 2018 | In recognition ofDoddie Weir, who founded the My Name's Doddie Foundation which supports research intomotor neurone disease[16] |
| Cuttitta Cup | Scotland–Italy | 2022 | CommemoratesMassimo Cuttitta, a former Italian captain and Scotland scrum coach, who died in 2021 at the age of 54 fromCOVID-19.[17] |
Currently the following matches have no additional trophy contested:
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As of the 2025 tournament, Six Nations matches are held in the following stadiums:
| Team | Stadium | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Twickenham Stadium | London | 82,000 |
| France | Stade de France | Saint-Denis | 81,338 |
| Wales | Principality Stadium | Cardiff | 73,931 |
| Italy | Stadio Olimpico | Rome | 72,698 |
| Scotland | Murrayfield Stadium | Edinburgh | 67,144 |
| Ireland | Aviva Stadium | Dublin | 51,700 |
The opening of Aviva Stadium in May 2010 ended the arrangement with theGaelic Athletic Association (GAA) that allowed the all-Ireland governing body for rugby union, theIrish Rugby Football Union, to use the GAA's flagship stadium,Croke Park, for its international matches. This arrangement was made necessary by the 2007 closure and subsequent demolition of Ireland's traditional home atLansdowne Road; Aviva Stadium was built on the former Lansdowne Road site. During this construction, Croke Park was the largest of the Six Nations grounds, with a capacity of 82,300.
In 2012 Italy moved their home games from the 32,000 seat Stadio Flaminio, to Stadio Olimpico, also in Rome, with a capacity of 72,000.
TheFrench Rugby Federation (FFR) had planned to build a new stadium of its own, seating 82,000 in the southern suburbs of Paris,[18] because of frustrations with their tenancy of Stade de France.[19] However the project was cancelled in December 2016.[20] France played their2018 match against Italy atStade Vélodrome inMarseille.[21]
In 2020, Wales played theirfinal game atParc y Scarlets inLlanelli due to the Principality Stadium being used asDragon's Heart Hospital in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[22]
In 2024, France was unable to use the Stade de France for their Six Nations home games due to ongoing preparations for its use in the2024 Summer Olympics.[23] Instead they played their three home matches at theStade Vélodrome inMarseille,Stade Pierre-Mauroy inLille, andParc Olympique Lyonnais inLyon.
England | France | Ireland | Italy | Scotland | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournaments | 129 | 96 | 131 | 26 | 131 | 131 |
| Outright wins (shared wins) | ||||||
| Home Nations | 5 (4) | — | 4 (3) | — | 9 (2) | 7 (3) |
| Five Nations | 17 (6) | 12 (8) | 6 (5) | — | 5 (6) | 15 (8) |
| Six Nations | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Overall | 29 (10) | 19 (8) | 16 (8) | 0 (0) | 14 (8) | 28 (11) |
| Grand Slams | ||||||
| Home Nations | — | — | — | — | — | 2[24] |
| Five Nations | 11 | 6 | 1 | — | 3 | 6 |
| Six Nations | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Overall | 13 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Triple Crowns | ||||||
| Home Nations | 5 | — | 2 | — | 7 | 6 |
| Five Nations | 16 | — | 4 | — | 3 | 11 |
| Six Nations | 5 | — | 8 | — | 0 | 5 |
| Overall | 26 | — | 14 | — | 10 | 22 |
| Wooden Spoons | ||||||
| Home Nations | 7 | — | 10 | — | 5 | 6 |
| Five Nations | 10 | 12 | 15 | — | 15 | 10 |
| Six Nations | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 3 |
| Overall | 17 | 13 | 25 | 18 | 24 | 19 |
| Nation | Titles | Last Title | Grand Slams | Last Grand Slam | Triple Crowns | Last Triple Crown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 39 | 2020 | 13 | 2016 | 26 | 2020 |
| Wales | 39 | 2021 | 12 | 2019 | 22 | 2021 |
| France | 27 | 2025 | 10 | 2022 | — | — |
| Ireland | 24 | 2024 | 4 | 2023 | 14 | 2025 |
| Scotland | 22 | 1999 | 3 | 1990 | 10 | 1990 |
| Italy | 0 | — | 0 | — | — | — |
| Nation | Titles | Last Title | Grand Slams | Last Grand Slam | Triple Crowns | Last Triple Crown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 7 | 2025 | 4 | 2022 | — | — |
| England | 7 | 2020 | 2 | 2016 | 5 | 2020 |
| Wales | 6 | 2021 | 4 | 2019 | 5 | 2021 |
| Ireland | 6 | 2024 | 3 | 2023 | 8 | 2025 |
| Scotland | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| Italy | 0 | — | 0 | — | — | — |
Overall
| Team | Wooden Spoons | HNC | FNC | SNC | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 25 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 1998 |
| Scotland | 24 | 5 | 15 | 4 | 2015 |
| Wales | 19 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 2025 |
| Italy | 18 | — | — | 18 | 2023 |
| England | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 1987 |
| France | 13 | — | 12 | 1 | 2013 |
| Team | Wooden Spoons | Years awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | 18 | 2000,2001,2002,2005,2006,2008,2009,2010,2011,2014,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| Scotland | 4 | 2004,2007,2012,2015 |
| Wales | 3 | 2003,2024,2025 |
| France | 1 | 2013 |
| England | 0 | |
| Ireland | 0 |
Bold indicates that the team did not win any matches
Match records (Six Nations era 2000–2025)
| Team | Played | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win % | Loss % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 130 | 89 | 38 | 3 | 68.46% | 29.23% |
| England | 130 | 86 | 42 | 2 | 66.15% | 32.31% |
| France | 130 | 84 | 43 | 3 | 64.62% | 33.08% |
| Wales | 130 | 64 | 63 | 3 | 49.23% | 48.46% |
| Scotland | 130 | 43 | 84 | 3 | 33.08% | 64.62% |
| Italy | 130 | 16 | 112 | 2 | 12.31% | 86.15% |
Head-to-head records (Five Nations Championship)
Record Team | England |  France | Ireland | Scotland | Wales | Total record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | — | 35–7–27 | 38–7–23 | 43–8–19 | 30–8–32 | 146–30–101 (52.71%) |
| France | 27–7–35 | — | 42–5–23 | 34–2–33 | 30–3–37 | 133–17–128 (47.84%) |
| Ireland | 23–7–38 | 23–5–42 | — | 34–2–33 | 25–5–38 | 105–19–151 (38.18%) |
| Scotland | 19–8–43 | 33–2–34 | 33–2–34 | — | 29–1–40 | 114–13–151 (41.01%) |
| Wales | 32–8–30 | 37–3–30 | 38–5–25 | 40–1–29 | — | 147–17–114 (52.88%) |
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Gordon D'Arcy |
| 2005 | Martyn Williams |
| 2006 | Brian O'Driscoll |
| 2007 | Brian O'Driscoll (2) |
| 2008 | Shane Williams |
| 2009 | Brian O'Driscoll (3) |
| 2010 | Tommy Bowe |
| 2011 | Andrea Masi |
| 2012 | Dan Lydiate |
| 2013 | Leigh Halfpenny |
| 2014 | Mike Brown |
| 2015 | Paul O'Connell |
| 2016 | Stuart Hogg |
| 2017 | Stuart Hogg (2) |
| 2018 | Jacob Stockdale |
| 2019 | Alun Wyn Jones |
| 2020 | Antoine Dupont |
| 2021 | Hamish Watson |
| 2022 | Antoine Dupont (2) |
| 2023 | Antoine Dupont (3) |
| 2024 | Tommaso Menoncello |
| 2025 | Louis Bielle-Biarrey |
Ireland'sJohnny Sexton holds the record for most points in the competition, with 566. England'sJonny Wilkinson holds the records for individual points in one match (35 points against Italy in 2001) and one season with 89 (scored in 2001).
The record for tries in a match is held byGeorge Campbell Lindsay, who scored five tries for Scotland against Wales in 1887.[26] England'sCyril Lowe, Scotland'sIan Smith and France'sLouis Bielle-Biarrey jointly hold the record for tries in one season with 8 (Lowe in 1914, Smith in 1925, Bielle-Biarrey in 2025).[27] Ireland'sBrian O'Driscoll has the Championship record for tries with 26.
The record for appearances is held bySergio Parisse of Italy, with 69 appearances,[28] between 2004 and 2019.
The most points scored by a team in one match was 80 points, scored by England against Italy in 2001. England also scored the most points in a season in 2001 with 229.[26] France scored the most tries in a season, with 30 in 2025.[27] Wales hold the record for fewest tries conceded during a season in the Six Nations era, conceding only 2 in 5 games in 2008, but the 1977 Grand Slam-winning France team did not concede a try in their four matches. Wales hold the record for the longest time without conceding a try, at 358 minutes in the 2013 tournament.
The Championship is run from headquarters inDublin,Ireland by Six Nations Rugby Ltd.[29]
FormerEngland and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) CEO,Tom Harrison,[30] was appointed the CEO of Six Nations Rugby in January 2023 following the resignation of Benjamin Morel in November 2022.[31] Morel had held the position of CEO since November 2018,[32] replacing John Feehan, who stepped down after sixteen years as CEO in April 2018.[33] Harrison's tenure as CEO commenced from April 2023.[30][34]
Ronan Dunne was appointed as the Chairman for Six Nations Rugby in November 2021 with his tenure commencing from January 2022. Dunne has responsibility for the commercial and marketing operations for both the men's andwomen's Six Nations tournaments.[35]
One of the most important rugby union tournaments in the world, the Six Nations Championship is broadcast in various countries in addition to the six participating nations.[36]
In the United Kingdom, theBBC has long covered the tournament, broadcasting all matches (apart from England home matches between 1997 and 2002, which were shown live by Sky Sports with highlights on the BBC) until 2015. In addition,Welsh language coverage of broadcasts matches featuring the Welsh team shown by the BBC are shown onS4C inWales in the United Kingdom.[37] Between 2003 and 2015, the BBC covered every match live on BBC Sport either on BBC One or BBC Two with highlights also on the BBC Sport website and either on the BBC Red Button or late at night on BBC Two.
On 9 July 2015, in reaction to bids by Sky for the rights beginning in 2018, the BBC ended its contract two seasons early, and renegotiated a joint contract withITV Sport for rights to the Six Nations from 2016 through 2021.ITV acquired rights to England, Ireland and Italy home matches, while the BBC retained rights to France, Scotland and Wales home matches. By ending its contract early, the BBC saved around £30 million, while the new contract generated £20 million in additional revenue for the Six Nations.[38]
With the end of the contract nearing, speculation once again emerged in 2020 that Sky was pursuing rights to the Six Nations from 2022 onward; under the Ofcom"listed events" rules, rights to the tournament can be held by a pay television channel if delayed broadcasts or highlights are made available on free-to-air television.[39] It was reported that the bid forCVC Equity Partners to purchase a stake in the Six Nations was being hindered by a desire for a more lucrative broadcast contract; a call for the Six Nations to be moved to Category A (which requires live coverage to air free-to-air) was rejected.[40][41] In May 2021, the BBC and ITV renewed their contracts through 2025. The BBC will continue to broadcast home matches from Scotland and Wales and all women's and under-20s matches, with ITV airing England, France, Ireland and Italy home matches.[42][43] In 2025, the deal was further extended until the 2029 tournament in a deal which would see BBC retain 5 matches and ITV also gain rights to England matches played in Scotland or Wales.[44]
France, Ireland, and Italy listed the Six Nations as a major event with cultural significance and enacted national andEU laws to ensure coverage would be available on free-to-air channels.[45]
In Ireland, each of Ireland's games in the Six Nations may be held by a pay television channel, if the match is delayed broadcast and in full on free-to-air television.[46]RTÉ have broadcast the championship since RTÉ's inception and continued to do so until 2017, whileTG4 televised highlights. However, in late 2015 RTÉ's free-to-air rival TV3 was awarded the rights for every game from the Six Nations on Irish television from 2018 to 2021.[47] In 2022 it was announced that RTÉ andVirgin Media would share broadcasting rights.[48]
In France, the entire Six Nations rugby tournament must appear on free-to-air television.[49]France Télévisions has covered the competition in France.
In Italy, Six Nations rugby matches involving the Italian national team must be broadcast on free-to-air television.[50]Sky Italia broadcasts all matches while free-to-airTV8 only coversItaly fixtures.
In the United States,NBC Sports broadcasts matches in English.[51] The tournament is also broadcast onDAZN in Canada,Premier Sports Asia inEast andSoutheast Asia,Sky Sport in New Zealand,Stan Sport in Australia andSuperSport in South Africa.[52]
In 2024 the Six Nations teams featured in a Netflix documentary Six Nations: Full Contact.[53] In February 2024, the show was green lit for a second season.[54] In January 2025, the tournament organisers confirmed that Netflix would not be taking up the option to produce a third series.[55]
| Territory | Broadcaster | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| France | France 2 | All matches |
 Republic of Ireland | RTÉ | All matches split between both channels |
| Virgin Media Television | ||
| Italy | Sky | All matches |
| TV8 | Italy matches only | |
 United Kingdom | BBC One | 5 matches all featuringScotland and/orWales |
| ITV | 10 matches including exclusivity of matches featuringEngland | |
| S4C | Wales matches shown by BBC in theWelsh language | |
| Asia | Premier Sports Asia | All matches |
 Australia | Stan Sport | All matches |
| Baltic states andNordic countries (including Poland) | Viaplay | All matches |
 Canada | DAZN | All matches |
| Caribbean | ESPN | All matches |
 Czechia (including Slovakia) | Nova Sport | All matches |
| Germanic Europe (including Luxembourg) | More Than Sports | All matches |
 Israel | Sport 5 | All matches |
 Georgia | Rugby TV | All matches |
 Japan | Wowow | All matches |
 Malta | GO | All matches |
| MENA | Premier Sports Middle East | All matches |
 Netherlands | Ziggo Sport | All matches |
 New Zealand | Sky Sport | All matches |
 Portugal (including Slovenia) | Sport TV | All matches |
 Romania | Orange Sport | All matches |
 Spain (including Andorra) | Movistar Plus+ | All matches |
| South America (including Argentina and Brazil) | ESPN Latin America | All matches shown in theSpanish language |
| ESPN Brazil | All matches shown in thePortuguese language | |
| Sub-Saharan Africa (including South Africa) | SuperSport | All matches |
 United States | NBC Sports | All matches |
| Worldwide | TV5Monde | France matches only |
Until 1998, the competition had notitle sponsor. Sponsorship rights were sold toLloyds TSB Group for the 1999 tournament and the competition was titled theLloyds TSB 5 Nations andLloyds TSB 6 Nations until 2002.[56]
TheRoyal Bank of Scotland Group took over sponsorship from 2003 until 2017, with the competition being branded theRBS 6 Nations. A new title sponsor was sought for the 2018 tournament and beyond.[57] However, after struggling to find a new sponsor, organisers agreed a one-year extension at a reduced rate. As the RBS brand was being phased out, the tournament was named after theNatWest banking subsidiary, becoming theNatWest 6 Nations.[58]
On 7 December 2018,Guinness was announced as the Championship's new title sponsor, with the competition to be named theGuinness Six Nations from 2019 to 2024.[59] Due to theLoi Évin laws which prohibitalcohol sponsorship in sport, "Guinness" cannot be used as part of the branding of the tournament in France. The French-language logo for the tournament replaces the Guinness logo with the word "Greatness" in the same colour and typeface as the Guinness wordmark.[60][61][62]
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