logo
Men's Six Nations starts midweek and is cut shorter for 2026

Men's Six Nations starts midweek and is cut shorter for 2026

The Guardian19-05-2025

Next year's Six Nations will kick-off on a Thursday night for the first time in the competition's history, with the defending champions France hosting Ireland, and take place across just six weeks after organisers removed one of fallow weeks for the championship.
It is understood that the unprecedented move to begin the championship on Thursday 5 February next year has been made following input from broadcasters with the 2026 Winter Olympics ceremony taking place in Milan the following day. It has also been made with the agreement of all six unions.
The Championship has also been truncated to six weeks with one of the traditional fallow weeks removed due to the inaugural Nations Cup, which is due to take place later in the year. That competition will feature four rounds of fixtures next autumn – the traditional Test window only accounts for three – so in exchange, the Six Nations will take place over six weeks. With just one fallow week, there will be three consecutive weeks of fixtures, followed by a week off, then two more to conclude the championship.
Round 1 [all times GMT]
Thurs 5 Feb: France v Ireland, 8.10pm; Sat 7 Feb: Italy v Scotland, 2.10pm; England v Wales, 4.40pm.
Round 2
Sat 14 Feb: Ireland v Italy, 2.10pm; Scotland v England, 4.40pm; Sun 15 Feb: Wales v France, 3.10pm.
Round 3
Sat 21 Feb: England v Ireland, 2.10pm; Wales v Scotland 4.40pm; Sun 22 Feb: France v Italy, 3.10pm.
Round 4
Fri 6 Mar: Ireland v Wales, 8.10pm; Sat 7 Mar: Scotland v France, 2.10pm; Italy v England, 4.40pm.
Round 5
Sat 14 Mar: Ireland v Scotland, 2.10pm; Wales v Italy, 4.40pm; France v England, 8.10pm.
The move to six weeks is unlikely to go down well with player welfare groups given a host of players have spoken of the need for two rest weeks in the past. Early this season, England players said they had voiced 'extensive concerns' about their workload with the Rugby Football Union when their contracts were announced for the coming year.
England will begin their campaign by hosting Wales on Saturday 7 February before travelling to Murrayfield to face Scotland and then welcoming Ireland to Twickenham. After the fallow week Steve Borthwick's side face consecutive away matches against Italy in Rome before taking on France in the final match on Super Saturday. Ireland, who will have the British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell back at the helm, host the only Friday night match of the championship, against Wales in round four of the competition.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Chelsea star, 25, ASKED to be left out of Club World Cup squad to secure transfer exit with Premier League rivals keen
Chelsea star, 25, ASKED to be left out of Club World Cup squad to secure transfer exit with Premier League rivals keen

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

Chelsea star, 25, ASKED to be left out of Club World Cup squad to secure transfer exit with Premier League rivals keen

CHELSEA ace Djordje Petrovic asked to be left out of the Club World Cup squad to focus on his future. Petrovic, 25, enjoyed a successful loan stint at Strasbourg this past season and recently returned to the Blues' squad. 4 4 4 Watch EVERY match of the Club World Cup 2025 live on DAZN And following his impressive performances in Ligue 1 the goalkeeper wants to be a guaranteed starter, something the West Londoners cannot offer him. According to The Telegraph, that is why the Serbia international asked to be omitted from manager Enzo Maresca's squad for the Club World Cup. Chelsea chiefs understand Petrovic's position and thus relations between the player and the club remain good. Thus, both parties agreed that Petrovic would be best served trying to sort out his future instead of travelling to the US. And should the keeper fail to secure a permanent move away to another club that meets his demands then he will rejoin Chelsea for pre-season training in July. Strasbourg have expressed an interest in signing the Serbian permanently this summer. However, there is also interest from various Premier League sides - West Ham being one of them - as well as teams from Europe. Chelsea were planning to include Petrovic in their Club World Cup squad had he not asked to be left out regardless of their recent bid to land AC Milan star Mike Maignan. The Blues' £12.7million offer wasn't accepted by Milan, who demand almost double despite Maignan having only one year left on his contract and refusing to extend. Inside Chelsea's Strasbourg talent factory as angry fans fight identity crisis The West Londoners could revisit their attempt to sign the France international when the summer transfer window reopens on June 16. However, Maresca still has faith in his other goalkeepers Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders, which is also a reason why Petrovic couldn't be guaranteed a starting role. Andrey Santos, who also played for Strasbourg last season, is the only loanee to be included in the Club World Cup squad. The same doesn't apply for Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi, while new signings Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr will be flying to the US. Club World Cup 2025 Guide SOME of the world's biggest clubs are heading Stateside for a MAMMOTH Club World Cup. Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Man City, and Inter Miami are among the 32 teams taking part in the tournament, which runs from June 14 to July 13. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele, Cole Palmer and Harry Kane will be showing their skills to packed crowds across the US. Los Blancos are favourites to lift the trophy in New York but will face stiff competition from around the globe. Watch EVERY match of the Club World Cup 2025 on DAZN Here's everything you need to know ahead of the tournament... INFO Everything you need to know ahead of the Club World Cup Club World Cup draw in FULL LATEST NEWS & FEATURES

Revealed: Trent Alexander Arnold's new shirt number at Real Madrid ahead of Club World Cup after controversial Liverpool exit
Revealed: Trent Alexander Arnold's new shirt number at Real Madrid ahead of Club World Cup after controversial Liverpool exit

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Revealed: Trent Alexander Arnold's new shirt number at Real Madrid ahead of Club World Cup after controversial Liverpool exit

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been handed his new shirt number at Real Madrid ahead of the Club World Cup. The right back is in line to make his debut for the Spanish giants next Wednesday when they face Al-Hilal in their first group game after Real paid Liverpool £10m to release him from his contract early so he could play in the tournament. Alexander-Arnold wore the No 66 shirt at Liverpool, but this will not be an option at Real due to LaLiga rules stating that shirt numbers must fall between 1 and 25. It has now been confirmed that Alexander-Arnold will wear the No 12 shirt at his new club. The name on the back of his shirt will also change and now read 'Trent' rather than 'Alexander-Arnold'. The 26-year-old is due to be unveiled as a Madrid player on Thursday before the team jet off to the US to compete in the group stage where they are scheduled to face Al-Hilal, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg. It will be Alexander-Arnold's first chance to impress new manager Xabi Alonso, with the Spaniard taking over from Carlo Ancelotti. 🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 OFFICIAL: Trent Alexander-Arnold will wear number 12 at Real Madrid. — Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) June 11, 2025 🚨🏆 Real Madrid's squad list for the Club World Cup + official shirt numbers of the players. — Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) June 11, 2025 Fans will be eager to see how Alexander-Arnold settles at Madrid following his controversial Liverpool exit. Alexander-Arnold opted to run down his contract to leave his boyhood club on a free transfer at the end of the season, leading to an angry response from some Liverpool fans. After announcing his decision to leave in early May, Alexander-Arnold was booed by his own supporters when he came off the bench during a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield. A number of his team-mates and Arne Slot leapt to his defence after that game as they asked fans to remember his previous years of service. The England international did not feature in Liverpool's next game - a 3-2 away defeat by Brighton - but did come on as a half-time substitute on the final day against Crystal Palace. On that occasion, he received a much better reception from supporters, and he was then cheered by most fans when he went up to collect his medal during the post-match presentation as Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy. Alexander-Arnold broke down in tears as he did a lap of honour to thank fans after the presentation, and he was seen crying again during Liverpool's open-top bus parade the following day. But he has never left Merseyside behind for a new life in the Spanish capital, and he is just days away from making his debut for Real in his No 12 jersey.

Marseille reach agreement to sign Gomes on free transfer
Marseille reach agreement to sign Gomes on free transfer

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Marseille reach agreement to sign Gomes on free transfer

Marseille have reached an agreement in principle to sign England midfielder Angel Gomes on a free French club had been in talks to sign the 24-year-old, who announced in May that he would leave Lille when his contract expires this League clubs Tottenham and West Ham were also linked with Gomes, but he has chosen to remain in Ligue joining from Manchester United in 2020, Gomes has scored 10 goals and provided 19 assists in 134 appearances for earned his first four senior caps for England under interim manager Lee Carsley last year, but has yet to feature under current boss Thomas Tuchel. Gomes' move to Marseille will see him link up with former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi and reunite with fellow Manchester United academy product Mason 23-year-old striker finished as last season's joint-top scorer in Ligue 1 with Paris St-Germain's Ousmane Dembele, with both scoring 21 league finished second to PSG to earn automatic qualification to the league phase of next season's Champions League.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store