The World Rugby Nations Cup 2026 gets underway on 4 July in Montevideo, where Uruguay take on Georgia, marking the beginning of a new era in men’s international rugby. The new tournament will take place across the July and November international windows, as teams build towards Australia 2027.
READ: Everything you need to know about the World Rugby Nations Cup 2026
In the first of two team guides, we take a closer look at the nations that make up the Americas and Pacific pool, which are: Canada, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, Uruguay and the USA.
Canada
World Ranking: 25
Overview:
As the lowest-ranked nation in this year’s tournament, Canada will look to use the Nations Cup as an opportunity to expand their player pool and improve on what was a challenging 2025. Canada secured qualification for RWC 2027 by finishing fourth in the Pacific Nations Cup 2025, with their only win of the tournament coming against the USA.
Speaking to World Rugby following the RWC 2027 Draw, head coach Steve Meehan said the new competition is “really good for us”, adding that “we need to try and build some depth”.
There will be no better place to start than their opening match against Spain at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton. Having narrowly lost 24-23 to Los Leones at the same venue last year, this fixture is already building into a compelling rivalry, with the two nations also set to meet at Australia 2027. Captain Lucas Rumball described that fixture as a “big target”, calling Spain a “familiar face”.
Head coach:
Australian-born Steve Meehan enters his second full year as head coach, following his appointment in December 2024. After a difficult run of results (one win in nine games), he now has a year of fixtures against quality opposition to build depth and string together a strong set of results.
Players to watch:
Lucas Rumball – Part of the squad that missed out on RWC 2023, back-row Rumball admitted: “It still hurts to this day.” With 65 caps, the Canada captain is determined to lead a new chapter for men’s rugby in the country.
Peter Nelson – The Northern Irish-born fly-half/full-back impressed in the Pacific Nations Cup 2025, scoring 38 points.
Tyler Ardon – The versatile forward made history by becoming the first Canadian to score four tries in a match in last year’s 34-20 victory over the USA.
Canada’s July fixtures:
Canada v Spain – 4 July, 2026 – Clarke Stadium, Edmonton
Canada v Portugal – 11 July, 2026 – Clarke Stadium, Edmonton
Canada v Zimbabwe – 18 July, 2026 – Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg
Chile
World Ranking: 18
Overview:
After the heroics of their RWC 2023 qualification, Los Cóndores have emerged as a third South American force alongside Argentina and Uruguay.
In last year’s South America/ Pacific play-off, they drew the first leg with Samoa before producing an historic win in the second to seal qualification for RWC 2027.
They are drawn in a RWC 2027 pool with hosts Australia, New Zealand and debutants Hong Kong China – whom they will face in the second weekend of Nations Cup fixtures. Head coach Pablo Lemoine says that link “will help as a point of reference.”
They’ll begin their campaign by hosting Romania in Santiago, a repeat of last year’s game between the two sides, which Chile won 40-16, and will round off July with a first meeting with Georgia since 2005.
Head coach:
Former Uruguay international Pablo Lemoine has led Chile since 2018 and guided them to back-to-back Rugby World Cups.
Players to watch:
Clemente Saavedra – The Chile captain, who plays flanker, featured in every minute of their crucial RWC 2027 qualifier play-off against Samoa.
Santiago Videla – Chile’s all-time leading points scorer and a highly versatile back, capable of covering multiple positions.
Salvador Lues – The prop who impressed in their match against Italy last year, scoring a try in the process.
Chile’s July fixtures:
Chile v Romania – 4 July, 2026 – National Stadium, Santiago
Chile v Hong Kong China – 11 July, 2026 – Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar
Chile v Georgia – 18 July, 2026 – Estadio La Portada, La Serena
Samoa
World ranking: 20
Overview:
The last team to confirm their place in the Nations Cup, Samoa enter the tournament following a challenging year, losing all their matches in the Pacific Nations Cup 2025 and scraping qualification for RWC 2027 after a 13-13 draw with Belgium in the Final Qualification Tournament.
They start against Hong Kong China, whom they have never faced, before taking on Georgia and Romania – neither of which they have played since 2022. This gives them a great opportunity to see where they stand among unfamiliar opposition.
Head coach:
As a player, Tusi Pisi, was part of a golden age of Samoan rugby which saw them record wins over the likes of Australia, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Appointed in April 2025, he will be determined to build momentum ahead of RWC 2027.
Players to watch:
Theo McFarland – The Samoa captain, Saracens second-row and former basketball international, he played every minute of their RWC 2023 campaign.
Jacob Umaga – The Benetton fly-half scored eight points in their 13-13 draw against Belgium. Destined for international rugby, with his father, Mika Umaga, having won 13 caps for Samoa, and his uncle being All Blacks great, Tana Umaga.
Abraham Papali'i – The Castres number eight scored tries in crucial games against Chile and Belgium, both off the bench, proving him a key impact sub.
Samoa’s July fixtures:
Samoa v Hong Kong China – 4 July, 2026 – National Stadium, Santiago, Chile
Samoa v Georgia – 11 July, 2026 – Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile
Samoa v Romania – 18 July, 2026 – Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo, Uruguay
Tonga
World ranking: 19
Overview:
2026 will provide the ‘Ikale Tahi with a valuable run of fixtures to build on their strong results from last year. Tonga qualified for RWC 2027 after finishing third in the Pacific Nations Cup 2025, defeating Canada in the bronze final. Captain Ben Tameifuna said then “We’re on a building path as well as a team, and I feel like we’re heading in the right direction.”
They open against Zimbabwe – a RWC 2027 Pool F opponent – before facing Spain and Portugal.
Head coach:
Tevita Tu’ifua will take confidence from Tonga’s progression during 2025 as he looks to build further momentum. A former winger, he played for the ‘Ikale Tahi in RWC 2003 in Australia and has also coached the Tonga men’s sevens national team.
Players to watch:
Ben Tameifuna – The Tonga captain and front-row powerhouse, Tameifuna recently enjoyed success with his French club Bordeaux-Bègles, where he won and the 2025 European Champions Cup.
Patrick Pellegrini – The Australian-born fly-half scored a hat-trick against Canada as they won the bronze final of the Pacific Nations Cup 2025.
Tonga’s July fixtures:
Tonga v Zimbabwe – 4 July, 2026 – DICK’s Sporting Goods Park, Denver, Colorado, USA
Tonga v Spain – 11 July, 2026 – Clarke Stadium, Edmonton, Canada
Tonga v Portugal – 18 July, 2026 – Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg, Canada
Uruguay
World ranking: 15
Overview:
Los Teros capped off a successful 2025 in which they reached their joint highest ranking of 14th and secured qualification for RWC 2027, beating Chile in the Sudaméricano final. They also recorded away wins against Romania and Portugal, the latter of whom they will face at RWC 2027, in a pool also containing Scotland and Ireland.
They begin in July against Georgia, then take on Romania, whom they also emphatically beat 70-8 in Montevideo last year, and finally, Hong Kong China.
Head coach:
Former Italy international and Argentine-born Rodolfo Ambrosio was previously Brazil’s head coach and an assistant for both Chile and Portugal before becoming Los Teros coach in April 2024. Following the RWC 2027 draw, Ambrosio said: “When 2026 begins, we're going to start expanding to have the largest possible pool of players to choose from (come RWC 2027).”
Players to watch:
Manuel Leindekar – Captain and second-row who plays for Bayonne in France.
Santiago Arata – Scrum-half who has scored 16 tries and was man of the match in their RWC 2023 win v Namibia.
Germán Kessler – A dynamic hooker, who has scored 23 tries in 74 matches, the third most of any Uruguayan international.
Uruguay’s July fixtures:
Uruguay v Georgia – 4 July, 2026 – Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
Uruguay v Romania – 11 July, 2026 – Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
Uruguay v Hong Kong China – 18 July, 2026 – Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
USA
World ranking: 16
Overview:
The World Rugby Nations Cup 2026 marks the beginning of a hugely significant period in the Men’s Eagles’ history. In 2022, the USA were named as Rugby World Cup hosts for the for the first time, in 2031. They will begin their Nations Cup campaign against Portugal Independence Day, which should whet the appetite for fans of rugby at the prospect of a future RWC hosted in the US. There has never been a greater potential for rugby to grow in the US than over the next five years, and the Nations Cup provides the strongest of starting points.
The USA qualified for RWC 2027 after beating Samoa in the fifth-place play-off at the Pacific Nations Cup and ended 2025 by beating Romania away. Following their Independence Day opener, they face Zimbabwe in Charlotte, North Carolina, a first meeting between the two teams, before taking on Spain, whom they have faced in each of the last two years, with both sides recording away victories.
Head coach:
Scott Lawrence has reversed the Men’s Eagles’ fortunes since officially taking over in 2024, following their failure to qualify for France 2023. Lawrence views the Nations Cup as an important step in building towards RWC 2027 and beyond, saying, “You assume that a style of rugby will get the public on board, but in the USA, they like winners, and they don’t necessarily care how.”
Players to watch out for:
Jason Damm – Back-row and captain who played a key role in the play-off against Samoa, scoring a try. Speaking about the USA hosting RWC 2031, Damm said: “It's everything … I will be long gone by the time that comes around. But it's such an exciting opportunity for the fellas who have the potential to be involved … so I can (hopefully) rub off a little bit of what it means to be an Eagle on them.”
Luke Carty – Irish-born fly-half/full-back. Instrumental in the win over Samoa and took on fly-half duties during the November fixtures, including the win over Romania.
USA’s July fixtures:
USA v Portugal – 4 July, 2026 – DICK’s Sporting Goods Park, Denver, Colorado
USA v Zimbabwe – 11 July, 2026 – American Legion Memorial Stadium, Charlotte North Carolina,
USA v Spain – 18 July, 2026 – WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, North Carolina