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 our second of two team guides, we take a closer look at the unions that make up the Europe, Africa and Asia pool, which are: Georgia, Hong Kong China, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Zimbabwe.
Georgia
World Ranking: 13
Overview:
The Lelos will be eager to return to test match rugby after falling short in the recent Rugby Europe Men’s Championship 2026 final to Portugal. Having brushed aside Romania in the semi-finals, they looked set to claim another title – a competition in which they had been unbeaten in 43 matches – but a late try from Vincent Pinto and a conversion from Manuel Vareiro ended that run, marking the first time since 2017 they had not won the tournament.
This should not overshadow what has been a positive period for Georgian rugby, with the creation of Black Lion allowing players to compete in the European Challenge Cup. They secured RWC 2027 qualification by winning the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship 2025, beating Spain in the final. Having also beaten USA and Canada last yearthey were drawn in a highly competitive Pool B at RWC 2027 alongside South Africa, Italy and Romania.
Georgia will begin their Nations Cup campaign in Montevideo against Uruguay, before facing Samoa and Chile.
Head coach:
The Lelos are going through a transition phase after Richard Cockerill left his post at the end of last year. Marco Bortolami acted as interim coach in the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship, but Pierre-Henry Broncan is set to take over, with these July fixtures marking his first as Lelos head coach.
Players to watch:
Beka Gorgadze – A number eight for French side Pau, he scored a try in the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship final loss and is the personification of power, producing big tackles and leads by example.
Giorgi Melikidze – Prop who has had a busy season with Stade Français and showcased impressive displays in the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship 2026.
Akaki Tabutsadze – The Lelos winger is the sixth highest try scorer in men’s international rugby history. Does anything else need to be said?
Georgia’s July fixtures:
Uruguay v Georgia – 4 July, 2026 – Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
Samoa v Georgia – 11 July, 2026 – Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile
Chile v Georgia – 18 July, 2026 – Estadio La Portada, La Serena
Hong Kong China
World ranking: 23
Overview:
This chapter in international rugby for Hong Kong China is entirely new territory. After years of prolific form in the Asia Rugby Championship, but falling short in successive Rugby World Cup qualification campaigns, the expanded 24-team format has provided a breakthrough. By securing a sixth consecutive Asia Rugby Championship title last year, Hong Kong China qualified automatically for their first-ever Men’s Rugby World Cup.
As they look ahead to Australia 2027, this period will allow them to further develop and contract players, with the Nations Cup providing their most consistent run of fixtures against this level of opposition.
They begin their campaign with a first-ever meeting against Samoa in Santiago. Their most notable fixture is a week later in the same venue against Chile, whom they will also face at RWC 2027. Having lost narrowly to them in 2024, head coach Logan Asplin has described that match as “winnable”, adding that “it’s fitting we have Chile, who we’ll be really targeting”. Their final game in July is against Uruguay.
Head coach:
Logan Asplin succeeded fellow Kiwi Andrew Douglas shortly after qualification and has emphasised building on that success.
Speaking after the RWC 2027 Draw, he said: “We have to celebrate being only the second team in Asia to qualify, but we don’t want it to be a one-stop shop. We want to build a programme resilient enough to continue to 2031 and beyond.”
Players to watch:
Joshua Hrstich – The captain described qualification for RWC 2027 as “overwhelming” and, following the RWC 2027 Draw, said the “boys can’t wait to go to work tomorrow … and also get after Chile”.
Matt Worley – The English-born full-back/winger played a key role in qualification and has scored 17 tries in 15 test matches.
Hong Kong China’s July fixtures:
Samoa v Hong Kong China – 4 July, 2026 – National Stadium, Santiago, Chile
Chile v Hong Kong China – 11 July, 2026 – Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar
Uruguay v Hong Kong China – 18 July, 2026 – Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
Portugal
World ranking: 14
Overview:
The darlings of RWC 2023, after that historic win over Fiji, Os Lobos could not have more belief entering this year’s tournament, which is shaping up to be what head coach Simon Mannix previously described as an “interesting and fascinating year in Portuguese rugby”, which “will give us more exposure than ever before.”
That was three months before the recent Rugby Europe Men’s Championship 2026 final, when trailing 17-9 to Georgia with 10 minutes to play, Os Lobos scored 10 points in a matter of a few minutes and clinched the title, ending Georgia’s streak of eight successive titles.
At RWC 2027, they have been draw in Pool D with Ireland, Scotland and Uruguay, whom they lost narrowly to last year.
Portugal will look to make their mark on the Nations Cup by spoiling the party against USA on Independence Day. They then face Canada, who they beat 33-27 last November, and finally Tonga, for the first time since 2009.
Head coach:
Following his appointment in 2024, head coach Simon Mannix spoke of how, “It’s all about getting the processes right, and until we get those right, there’s no point talking about results.” He finished by asserting “We’re going to get it right, work extremely hard and be very competitive every time we go on the field.” This was said three months before the heroics of their Rugby Europe Men’s Championship title success. Mannix, a former All Blacks fly-half clearly meant business then and will be desperate to keep this momentum going.
Players to watch:
José Madeira – A key forward who leads by example whenever he takes to the pitch. He hadn’t missed a tackle in the last two Rugby Europe Men’s Championships before leading Portugal to an historic title this year.
Nicolás Martins – Flanker who was man of the match in the historic RWC 2023 victory against Fiji. In the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship 2026 final, he made 22 tackles and five lineout steals..
Rodrigo Marta – Winger with 46 test tries, the most of any Portuguese player in history. In the recent Rugby Europe Men’s Championship, he scored seven tries, made 11 clean breaks and beat 30 defenders.
Portugal’s July fixtures:
USA v Portugal - 4 July, 2026 – DICK’s Sporting Goods Park, Denver, Colorado, USA
Canada v Portugal – 11 July, 2026 – Clarke Stadium, Edmonton
Tonga v Portugal – 18 July, 2026 - Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg, Canada
Romania
World ranking: 22
Overview:
The Oaks have the benefit of having faced most of the Pool A teams within the last two years. Following their bronze final victory in the 2025 Rugby Europe Men’s Championship, they faced Chile and Uruguay, losing both, before taking on Los Teros, USA and Canada in November, beating only the latter.
They were drawn in Pool B for RWC 2027 alongside South Africa, Italy and Georgia, and in this year’s Rugby Europe Men’s Championship again reached the semi-finals, only to finish fourth after losing to Spain in the bronze final. Their only win came against Belgium, having suffered a shock defeat to Germany in round one.
They will be hoping to draw on the experience of those 2025 fixtures and turn them into wins. They begin in Santiago against Chile, a fixture they lost 40-16 last July, before facing Uruguay, an all too familiar opposition whom they have faced three times since the start of 2024, losing on each occasion. Their final July fixture is against Samoa, whom they have not faced since 2022, when they lost 22-0.
Head coach:
Former Toulouse second-row David Gérard, appointed in January 2024, has made no secret of what he expects from his players. Speaking after the RWC 2027 Draw, he said: “Every mistake, every error will be tougher for us. I have to focus on players individually and see if they can take the sacrifices needed and join us in the fight.”
Players to watch:
Cristi Boboc – The back-row who captained Romania in the recent Rugby Europe Men’s Championship.
Gheorge Gajion – A powerful prop known as ‘The Beast from the East’.
Alexandru Savin – The loose-head prop who is central to Romania’s strong scrum.
Romania’s July fixtures:
Chile v Romania – 4 July, 2026 – National Stadium, Santiago
Uruguay v Romania – 11 July, 2026 – Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
Samoa v Romania – 18 July, 2026 – Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
Spain
World ranking: 17
Overview:
Since Los Leones failed to qualify for RWC 2023, significant progress has been made under head coach Pablo Bouza. This includes a third-place finish in the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship in 2024, a first-ever win over Tonga, a victory against Uruguay, a Rugby Europe runners-up finish in 2025, and an unbeaten July tour last year with wins over the USA and Canada. Their RWC 2007 pool includes Canada, as well as Fiji and Argentina.
Spain have built considerable experience against Pool A opposition, often coming out on top, and will be aiming to be crowned Nations Cup champions.
They begin in Canada, a team they have not lost to since 2017. Such a compelling match-up of late, having beaten them in 2022, 2023 and with a last-minute kick in 2025. This will be a crucial fixture with Australia 2027 on the horizon. They then face Tonga, whom they first beat in 2024 - a notable turnaround given the Pacific islanders had won 40-6 two years earlier. Their final July fixture is against the USA, a sidethey beat 31-20 last year.
Head coach:
Former Argentina international Pablo Bouza was defence coach for Los Pumas when they reached the semi-finals of RWC 2015. He will now look to build further progress with Los Leones following his arrival in 2024, after going to RWC 2023 with Uruguay as forwards coach.
Speaking about the upcoming fixtures, Bouza said: “These are opponents we’re on equal footing with, and they should all be very even matches.”
Players to watch:
Jon Zabala – Los Leones captain and prop now playing in the Top 14 for Pau.
Alvaro García Albo – The hooker lead Spain to the World Rugby U20 Trophy title in 2023 and has stepped seamlessly into the senior side, also captaining them in the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship 2026
Luciano Richardis – French-born fly-half who plays his club rugby for Toulouse. He started the last three matches of the Rugby Europe Men’s Championship, scoring a fantastic try against Georgia.
Spain’s July fixtures:
Canada v Spain – 4 July, 2026 – Clarke Stadium, Edmonton
Tonga v Spain - 11 July, 2026 – Clarke Stadium, Edmonton
USA v Spain – 18 July, 2026 – WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, North Carolina
Zimbabwe:
World ranking: 24
Overview:
The Sables will return to the Rugby World Cup stage in 2027 for the first time in 36 years, having been the first side to represent Africa in both 1987 and 1991. The past two years have seen a resurgence for Zimbabwe, as they have won back-to-back Rugby Africa Men’s Cup titles.
In 2024, they defeated Namibia for the first time in 23 years in the semi-final, before winning the final. A year later, with RWC 2027 qualification on the line, they edged Namibia again in a thriller of a final, winning 30-28 to secure their place at Australia 2027.
The Nations Cup represents an important next step, as it will be the first time they have faced teams qualified for Australia 2027 since playing Hong Kong China in November 2016.
Two of their July fixtures are against teams they have never faced, the exception being Tonga – their RWC 2027 Pool F opponent – albeit their only previous meeting was in 1997. They then face the USA and Canada.
Head coach:
Former Sables assistant coach Pieter Benade has already achieved impressive results since taking over in March 2024. The Zimbabwean has yet to lose a match and now looks ahead to an exciting period for the team.
He said: “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved as a small group. We’re grateful for the new competitions and feel fortunate to be part of this, but we don’t want it to be a one-off.”
Players to watch out for:
Hilton Mudariki – Scrum-half and captain who has led Zimbabwe to back-to-back Africa Rugby Men’s Cup titles.
Ian Prior – The Australian-born fly-half who plays for Western Force and was player of the tournament in Zimbabwe’s Africa Rugby Men’s Cup 2025 success.
Brandon Mudzekenyedzi – Huge and rapid ball-carrying centre, who scored a world-class try in that final against Namibia. Has said he used to walk past a poster of Cory Jane and dream of playing rugby.
Zimbabwe’s July fixtures:
Tonga v Zimbabwe – 4 July, 2026 – DICK’s Sporting Goods Park, Denver, Colorado, USA
USA v Zimbabwe – 11 July, 2026 – American Legion Memorial Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Canada v Zimbabwe – 18 July, 2026 – Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg
Photo: Rugby Europe