World Rugby Rankings Set Stage For Massive Round 3 Of The Nations Championship

See the latest World Rugby rankings before Round 3, plus Nations Championship fixtures, standings and how to watch every match.

Jul 16, 2026 by Joe Harrington

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The latest World Rugby men's rankings provide the backdrop for one of the biggest weekends of the international season as six of the world's top 12 teams collide in Round 3 of the Nations Championship.

With the tournament reaching its halfway point, every result carries added significance as teams battle not only for points in the standings but also for position among rugby's elite.

The weekend's marquee matchup features No. 2 New Zealand hosting No. 3 Ireland at Eden Park in a clash between two unbeaten teams that could have major implications near the top of the rankings. South Africa remains the world's No. 1 team after opening the tournament with consecutive victories and will look to extend its perfect start against No. 12 Wales.

Another rankings battle takes center stage when No. 5 England travels to face No. 7 Argentina after both teams rebounded with victories in Round 2. Fourth-ranked France also faces a challenging road test against No. 11 Japan, making this one of the most competitive weekends of the international rugby calendar.

Current World Rugby Men's Rankings

South Africa — 93.96
New Zealand — 91.04
Ireland — 89.32
France — 87.43
England — 84.75
Scotland — 84.09
Argentina — 84.06
Australia — 80.60
Fiji — 78.69
Italy — 77.31
Japan — 76.42
Wales — 76.38
Georgia — 73.30
USA — 69.40
Portugal — 68.67
Spain — 67.66
Uruguay — 67.62
Chile — 67.59
Samoa — 66.27
Tonga — 65.85
Belgium — 61.03
Romania — 60.92
Canada — 59.46
Hong Kong China — 58.86
Zimbabwe — 58.59

Nations Championship Round 3 Fixtures & Schedule

Saturday, July 18 (ET)

3:10 a.m. ET — New Zealand vs. Ireland
4:40 a.m. ET — Japan vs. France
6:10 a.m. ET — Australia vs. Italy
9:10 a.m. ET — Fiji vs. Scotland
11:40 a.m. ET — South Africa vs. Wales
3:10 p.m. ET — Argentina vs. England

Nations Championship Standings

Northern Hemisphere

Ireland — 10 points
France — 7 points
Scotland — 6 points
England — 5 points
Wales — 5 points
Italy — 0 points

Southern Hemisphere

South Africa — 10 points
New Zealand — 10 points
Argentina — 6 points
Japan — 4 points
Australia — 3 points
Fiji — 0 points

Remaining Nations Championship Schedule

Here's what happens in November.

Nations Championship Round 4

Friday, Nov. 6

3:10 p.m. ET — Ireland vs. Argentina

Saturday, Nov. 7

6:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. South Africa
9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. New Zealand
11:40 a.m. ET — Wales vs. Japan
3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Fiji

Sunday, Nov. 8

10:10 a.m. ET — England vs. Australia

Nations Championship Round 5

Friday, Nov. 13

3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. South Africa

Saturday, Nov. 14

6:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. Argentina
9:10 a.m. ET — Wales vs. New Zealand
11:40 a.m. ET — England vs. Japan
3:10 p.m. ET — Ireland vs. Fiji

Sunday, Nov. 15

10:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. Australia

Nations Championship Round 6

Saturday, Nov. 21

9:10 a.m. ET — England vs. New Zealand
9:10 a.m. ET — Scotland vs. Japan
11:40 a.m. ET — Ireland vs. South Africa
11:40 a.m. ET — Italy vs. Fiji
3:10 p.m. ET — France vs. Argentina
3:10 p.m. ET — Wales vs. Australia

Nations Championship Final

The inaugural Nations Championship Final will be played during the weekend of Nov. 27, with the top Northern Hemisphere team meeting the top Southern Hemisphere team to determine the tournament champion.

Here's How Fans Can Watch The Nations Championship

Fans in the United States can stream every Nations Championship match for free on RugbyPass TV and the World Rugby YouTube page.

World Rugby Nations Cup Round 3 Fixtures & Schedule

Saturday, July 18 (ET)

10:30 a.m. ET — Samoa vs. Romania
1:00 p.m. ET — Uruguay vs. Hong Kong China
3:00 p.m. ET — Chile vs. Georgia
4:45 p.m. ET — Tonga vs. Portugal
7:30 p.m. ET — USA vs. Spain
8:00 p.m. ET — Canada vs. Zimbabwe

World Rugby Nations Cup Standings

Pool A

Chile — 10 points
USA — 9 points
Samoa — 5 points
Tonga — 5 points
Uruguay — 5 points
Canada — 3 points

Pool B

Georgia — 9 points
Spain — 8 points
Portugal — 7 points
Romania — 4 points
Zimbabwe — 1 point
Hong Kong China — 0 points

Here's How Fans Can Watch The World Rugby Nations Cup

Fans in the United States can stream every World Rugby Nations Cup match, including all USA Rugby Eagles fixtures, live on Paramount+.

Current World Rugby Men's Rankings

South Africa — 93.96
New Zealand — 91.04
Ireland — 89.32
France — 87.43
England — 84.75
Scotland — 84.09
Argentina — 84.06
Australia — 80.60
Fiji — 78.69
Italy — 77.31
Japan — 76.42
Wales — 76.38
Georgia — 73.30
USA — 69.40
Portugal — 68.67
Spain — 67.66
Uruguay — 67.62
Chile — 67.59
Samoa — 66.27
Tonga — 65.85
Belgium — 61.03
Romania — 60.92
Canada — 59.46
Hong Kong China — 58.86
Zimbabwe — 58.59

How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby

Professional club rugby in Europe all streams on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:

FloRugby is also home to match archives and match replays.

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