It is one of the strengths of sport, and one of the reasons it is so appealing to sponsors, that the narrative and the schedule can be plotted out well in advance.
The Champions Cup Final is this weekend and will be followed by the play-offs of the Unioted Rugby Championship and the Lions Tour but today, we also get to sync our calendars with the dates and times of the matches to be played as part of the 2026 Guinness Six Nations.
Ireland will get things underway in an unusual fashion with an away game in France on Thursday evening, February 5th at 20:10 Irish time.
It will be the first time a Championship match has been played on a Thursday since 1948, when it was the Five Nations and Ireland claimed a win on French soil on New Year’s Day.
It will also be good news for Leopardstown Racecourse and Horse Racing Ireland who can now look forward to a free run at that weekend for the Dublin Racing Festival.
Ireland will then host Italy at the Aviva Stadium at 14:10 on the afternoon of Saturday, February 14th, before travelling to the Allianz Stadium at Twickenham to face England in the same time slot seven days later.
Then there is a weekend break, the only one of next year’s tournament, before Ireland host Wales under Friday night lights at 20:10 in the Aviva Stadium on March 6th and then Scotland at 14:10 on Super Saturday, March 14th, six hours before France host England.
In 2025, nearly 130 million fans watched coverage of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations in home markets – a +6.30% increase compared to the previous year – and 2026 promises to deliver the same again.
Never miss a match – sync the full Six Nations schedule to your calendar
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SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
We should never wish our lives away, time is too precious for that, but it is always good to have the next thing to get excited about in the book, and that is what the Guinness Six Nations has delivered today.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
That opening fixture in France, with the venue yet to be fully confirmed will be kicking off in 262 days time.
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