The 2026 edition of the tournament breaks with tradition by kicking off on a Thursday.
With the 2026 Men’s Six Nations just hours away, a quick look at your calendar will tell you that it’s a Thursday night. So what’s going on?
The tournament has kicked off under the Friday night lights many times before – including last season’s France v Wales clash – but Thursday marks a radical break with tradition.
It’s not the only significant change to the format of this year’s Six Nations fixtures, which will be spread over one fewer week than in recent years. The first fallow week – which traditionally took place after the second round of matches – has been removed from the schedule.
Eagle-eyed fans will also have noticed that the match times have changed, with early Saturday kick-offs at 2.10pm, late afternoon kick-offs at 4.40pm, evening kick-offs at 8.10pm, and Sunday kick-offs at 3.10pm (all times GMT).
But by far the biggest talking point is that Thursday night Six Nations 2026 opener, in which reigning champions France welcome Ireland to Paris tonight. Here’s why the 2026 edition of the beloved tournament is getting the party started early.
Why is the 2026 Six Nations kicking off on a Thursday night?
It’s not that the competition organisers have decided to follow in the footsteps of football’s Europa League, whose games kick off on Thursdays to make way for the more glamorous Champions League. The motivation is, however, still sport-related.
France v Ireland – which, going on recent tournaments, could have some bearing on the destination of the Six Nations trophy this year – has been moved to avoid a clash with the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. It is hoped that this Thursday night experiment will maximise the TV audience for the game in France.
Has a Six Nations championship match ever been played on a Thursday before?
The 2026 France v Ireland encounter marks the first time a Six Nations match has ever kicked off on a Thursday, but it’s not a first for the tournament as a whole.
Nearly eight decades ago this very same fixture opened the 1948 Five Nations on New Year’s Day, 1948, which just happened to fall on a Thursday that year. Ireland beat France 13-6 in Paris on their way to winning their first Grand Slam.
Although Five Nations games generally took place on Saturdays, the very first Six Nations in 2000 immediately shook things up with a couple of Sunday kick-offs – including the final game, in which Scotland ended England’s Grand Slam hopes at Murrayfield. Sunday games have been a regular occurrence ever since.
The first Friday night Six Nations match took place in 2009 when France beat Wales 21-16 in a third round clash at the Stade de France. Two years later, the tournament kicked off on a Friday night for the first time when Wales hosted England at the Millennium Stadium. England won the match 26-19. The tournament has also kicked off on a Friday in 2015, 2019, 2024 and 2025.
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