Down Under

They’re also in line to face Eddie Jones’ Japan, most likely on Aussie soil.

ANDY FARRELL’S IRELAND are set to visit Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 2026 for the opening window of the new Nations Cup.

It’s understood that Ireland are in line to face the Wallabies and the All Blacks in July 2026, as well as playing Japan.

The game against Eddie Jones’ Japan is expected to take place in either Australia or New Zealand, with Australia more likely given the huge Irish diaspora Down Under. 

Final details are still to be confirmed, with the IRFU and other unions having further discussed plans at World Rugby meetings in Sydney this week.

This also means that Ireland are set to welcome South Africa, Fiji, and Argentina to Dublin in autumn 2026 for their other Nations Cup fixtures next year.

From 2026, the new biennial Nations Cup will take place across the July and November Test windows. At the end of the November window, there will be a Grand Final, along with other placing games.

The 2026 play-offs will be hosted at Twickenham and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, with Qatar to host the 2028 deciders, and the 2030 finals set to take place in the US.

It had been hoped that the likes of Japan and Fiji would host all their ‘home’ games in the Nations Cup on actual Japanese and Fijian soil next year, but the strong prospect of Ireland facing Japan in Australia shows that might not be the case.

The travel schedules for nations like Ireland have been a concern since the competition was agreed upon, with worries for player welfare amid three July Tests in three different countries – several of which are long flights from each other – across three consecutive weekends, as opposed to the current status quo of three-Test series in one country.

That seemingly means that the Nations Cup will involve clusters of games in one nation, as in the possible example of Ireland playing the Wallabies and Japan in Australia on consecutive weekends next summer.

Ireland’s 2026 visit to Australia means that Farrell and the large contingent of Irish players and staff who have been Down Under on the Lions tour will be returning swiftly next summer.

There will be another big trip to Australia in 2027 for the World Cup.

The rivalry with both the Wallabies and the All Blacks is set to grow this coming autumn as Farrell’s men face both sides.

Ireland open their 2025 November Tests campaign against New Zealand in Chicago on 2 November, while they host Joe Schmidt’s men in Dublin on 16 November, with a game against Japan at the Aviva Stadium in between. They complete their campaign against the Springboks on 23 November.

Former Ireland boss Schmidt will be in his final campaign with the Wallabies when Farrell and co. visit Australia in July 2026, before handing the reins over to ex-Ireland defence coach Les Kiss.