WXV Global Series: Women’s residence nations achieve management of autumn video games

England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales have gained management of their autumn fixtures as a part of World Rugby’s alterations to the ladies’s world calendar.

The new WXV Global Series, which is able to substitute the WXV competitors, will run from 2026-2028 and have the highest 12 groups on the earth.

Seeking to construct on the success of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, nationwide federations and unions will have the ability to select their very own residence and away video games in September and October.

Alongside every of the house nations, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States qualify as the highest 12 sides.

Those 12 nations are locked in to the WXV Global Series till the following Rugby World Cup in 2029.

Each facet will obtain the identical sum of money from World Rugby to compete within the fixtures irrespective of what number of Tests they select to play.

Fixtures can be introduced by every nation after the World Cup.

“This is really important in the context of [breakaway league] R360 and other competitions that are being discussed as we need to give the national federations, players and fans certainty,” World Rugby chief govt Alan Gilpin mentioned.

“This allows that certainty over a four-year cycle that allows the national federations and unions to go and have those conversations [on contracts] with the player groups. It is a really important milestone.”

Teams ranked 13-18, who World Rugby describe as going through better “financial challenges”, will play their fixtures in a single vacation spot in 2026 and 2028, funded by the worldwide governing physique.

Those groups are Brazil, Fiji, Hong Kong China, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

This means WXV – a three-tier competitors launched in 2023 to produce extra significant video games earlier than the World Cup – will now not run.

BBC Sport understands the highest 12 sides will play between 9-16 Tests in a calendar 12 months, exterior of World Cup years, with a most of six Tests.

The complete of video games will embody fixtures performed by residence nations in 2027 when additionally they present gamers for the primary British and Irish Lions ladies’s tour to New Zealand.

World Rugby says there can be over 100 video games throughout the three-year Global Series competitors and £9m can be invested, which is hoped will construct on the World Cup in England that has seen file viewing figures and the ultimate at Twickenham on 27 September bought out.

“The launch of the WXV Global Series marks another landmark moment for the women’s game, following what will be an era-defining Women’s Rugby World Cup in England,” World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson added.

“It delivers on our commitment to raise standards, provide consistent and competitive fixtures, a clear international calendar that prioritises welfare, and create sustainable commercial outcomes for the women’s game globally.”

In 2023, World Rugby introduced a brand new males’s competitors beginning in 2026 made up of 24 groups, break up into two divisions.