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The long wait is over; the Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) is returning in 2026. After six years of non-activity, the ARC will be played in October. The format continues with six competitors but it has been altered with Canada notably absent.
Ignacio Chano reports that the 2026 ARC will be hosted by Paraguay. All matches will be played in Asunción at the national rugby stadium, the Estadio Héroes de Curupaytí. Matches will be played over three day matches: October 09, 13 and 17.
Hosts, Paraguay and Brazil will field their test sides. The four other teams are the Rugby World Cup 2027 bound Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and USA. All four are to field next-of-XV matches with the fixtures to be uncapped. Only Brazil vs Paraguay will be capped and count towards World Rankings.
The competition will operate with a model similar to that from past editions of the World Rugby Nations Cup. There will be two pools of three teams. It will operate with the three teams in Pool A facing the three in Pool B and the three in Pool B facing the three in Pool A. The team that secures the most competition points will be declared the champion.
The return of the ARC thus comes without Canada. The explanation for this is that it is being operated as a Sudamérica Rugby tournament. Paraguay’s involvement cement brings the number of competitors to five and the USA thus fills the vacancy for an even number of six teams.
Canada and the USA will both compete in the 2026 Pacific Nations Cup (PNC). The PNC has been positioned before the ARC with matches set to be played in August and September. Canada and the USA will again join Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga in the PNC.
Meanwhile, confirmation is forthcoming as to Chile and Uruguay hosting matches in the Nations Cup. It will be the second division to that of the Nations Championship which will consist of Argentina, Fiji, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as the sixth Southern Hemisphere teams. They join the Six Nations in the Nations Championship.
The Nations Cup is expected to feature matches in South America in July. The unconfirmed fixtures are for Chile and Uruguay to both play host to test matches against Georgia, Hong Kong, and Romania. This will be followed by November Internationals against Portugal, Spain, and Zimbabwe.
