United Rugby Championship Releases 2026/27 Fixtures: Dates, And SA Tour Details
The full United Rugby Championship fixture list for the 2026/27 season has officially been released, setting a new benchmark for the earliest publication of fixtures in the competition’s history.
With the new campaign set to kick off on Friday, 25 September, the release comes 129 days before the opening round, surpassing last season’s previous record of 128 days and giving supporters, clubs, broadcasters and venues more time than ever to plan for the league’s biggest weekends.
The 2026/27 fixture list has been designed to provide greater balance throughout the regular season, with a more even spread of home and away fixtures and an optimised touring model for the South African teams, each of whom will complete three two-match Vodacom URC tours during the campaign.
The competition will begin with fixtures across Ireland, Italy, South Africa and Wales on the opening weekend, with all five competing territories represented in Round 1. The standout fixture sees the 2023 Vodacom URC champions Munster Rugby host the 2024 champions Glasgow Warriors at Thomond Park on Saturday, 26 September.
Other Round 1 highlights include Connacht Rugby welcoming the Stormers to Dexcom Stadium, the Lions hosting Leinster Rugby at Ellis Park Stadium, Ulster Rugby facing Edinburgh Rugby at Affidea Stadium, and Scarlets taking on Cardiff Rugby in a Welsh derby at Parc y Scarlets.
The Sharks will begin their campaign at home in Durban against the Ospreys, while the Bulls open their season away to Zebre Parma in Italy.
As has become customary, Vodacom URC supporters around the world will be able to download fixtures directly to their devices via the Ecal URC 2026/27 calendar, ensuring they never miss a kick-off regardless of their time zone. Updates may take up to an hour to sync.
The 2026/27 season promises another thrilling campaign following a record-breaking 2025/26 regular season, which produced the closest-ever Race to the Eight as teams battled for play-off places and Investec Champions Cup qualification.
Festive derby rounds will once again form a major part of the season, with Rounds 7, 8 and 9 scheduled across December and early January. Meanwhile, the Race to the Eight will intensify from Round 13 onwards as the battle for knockout rugby gathers momentum. Themed rounds will also return during the 2026/27 campaign, with further details set to be confirmed by the Vodacom URC in due course.
The competition format remains unchanged, with the top eight teams advancing to the play-offs. The quarter-finals will begin on Friday, 28 May, followed by the semi-finals from Saturday, 5 June, before the Grand Final on Saturday, 19 June, where the 2026/27 champions will be crowned.
The Vodacom URC also thanked its broadcast partners for their collaboration throughout the fixture-planning process, which has played a key role in delivering greater certainty for clubs and supporters alike.
Martin Anayi, CEO of the United Rugby Championship, said: “Publishing our fixtures earlier than ever before is a major achievement and an important step for our clubs, supporters, broadcasters and venues. Fan certainty is hugely important to us. The more notice we can provide around fixtures and kick-off times, the easier it becomes for supporters to plan their weekends, travel to games and follow their teams throughout the season.
“This has been a highly collaborative process with our clubs and broadcasters, and we are grateful for the way they have worked with us to deliver a more balanced fixture list. The touring model has helped us create a better rhythm of home and away games across the season, while also supporting improved kick-off scheduling.
“After the closest-ever Race to the Eight in 2025/26, we are preparing for another incredibly dramatic Vodacom URC season. The level of competitiveness across the league continues to grow, and we know every round will have a major impact on the race for play-off places, European qualification and, ultimately, the title.”
The Vodacom URC fixture process continues to benefit from its work with Ligalytics, a German sports data and scheduling firm trusted across rugby, football, cricket, basketball and hockey. For the 2026/27 season, Ligalytics again supported the league in developing fixture models that helped deliver essential travel requirements, a balanced home-and-away cadence, stadium availability, local restrictions, and broadcaster needs.
