Rugby’s top unions are headed for a fresh confrontation with World Rugby as pressure builds to scrap the mandatory promotion and relegation system slated for the 2030 Nations Championship. When under the terms of the licence granted by World Rugby promotion and relegation has to be introduced, japan and Fiji have been granted invitational status to play in the first three editions of the Nations Championship until 2030.
The creation of a new commercial entity, F10, by the 10 leading unions has fueled concerns that some members, particularly Wales and Italy, are seeking safeguards to remain in the elite tier regardless of their performance.
Under the conditions set by the World Rugby Council in Paris ahead of the 2023 World Cup final, the competition was established as an open league. The agreement, passed by a significant 80% majority, requires that the loser of the Nations Championship playoff match be replaced by the winner of the second-tier Nations Cup starting in 2030.
World Rugby and smaller unions are pushing for the commercial rights of the Nations Cup to be bundled with the premier tournament, ensuring broader revenue distribution. Currently, the discrepancy is stark: the Nations Championship has secured over 80 broadcast agreements, whereas the Nations Cup has managed only 13, forcing many matches to be streamed on the RugbyPass TV platform. The Nations Cup has brought in just 13, with games streamed on the World Rugby-owned RugbyPass TV in many markets, including the UK, while the Nations Championship has secured more than 80 broadcast deals for this year’s tournament in deals that were brokered before F10 was set up.
The power struggle highlights long-standing tensions between the global governing body and the major unions, which originally rejected an earlier version of the competition due to relegation fears. Any move to ringfence the current 10 members would require a formal return to the World Rugby Council, potentially triggering a chaotic reopening of the initial agreement. According to sources present at the vote, Any attempt to ringfence the 10 founding members in the Nations Championship would need to go to the council for approval, as it would represent a fundamental change to the conditions agreed three years ago and damage the integrity of the competition. Meaning it got a majority of 80%, so reopening the debate would be a risky move by the unions as it could throw the tournament into turmoil, the original vote required a 75% majority to be passed and the motion received 41 votes for and 10 against. Which the 10 biggest unions have now introduced themselves, in addition World Rugby also originally suggested the joint sale of commercial rights. How that comes into effect needs to be sorted out.”, the basic premise is still the same.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney recently addressed the uncertainty, noting that a review group chaired by Brett Robinson is currently examining the mechanics of the system. While the Six Nations maintains that relegation is part of the original plan, individual unions have expressed significant anxiety regarding the financial impact of dropping to the second division.
Welsh Rugby Union boss Abi Tierney has described the prospect of relegation as cataclysmic for her organization. While Six Nations officials state that discussions are focused on parachute payments to maintain financial stability for relegated teams, there is clear ongoing lobbying for exemptions from the promotion-relegation criteria.
As it stands, Italy and Fiji hold the lowest rankings in the inaugural Nations Championship, while Georgia and the USA are leading the secondary competition. The F10 company now controls broadcast and commercial rights for all competitions outside the World Cup, marking a significant shift in the sport’s financial governance.
The 2030 deadline remains the official benchmark for these changes, though the precise execution of the movement between leagues is still under intense review. The governing body continues to assert that the competition must remain open to ensure the growth of the global game, placing them at odds with unions prioritizing their own financial security. Although they have also conceded that details over the precise mechanism remain to be determined, the Six Nations’ official position is that relegation will be brought in as originally envisaged in 2030.
