Women's Six Nations 2026: All you need to know

Get ready for fast passes, big tackles, and brilliant tries - the Women's Six Nations is back.

This exciting rugby tournament brings together some of the best players from across Europe, all competing to be crowned champions.

The Women's Six Nations is a big international rugby tournament, in which six countries from Europe compete: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy.

In 2026, the tournament begins on Saturday 11 April and runs for five weeks.

Each team plays the others once, with sides registering four points for a win. Teams are also rewarded additional points for scoring four tries or more in a match whether they win or lose. Teams defeated by less than seven points are also rewarded with a point.

If a team wins all of their matches, they achieve something special called a 'Grand Slam'.

The team to watch this year is England, also known as the Red Roses. They are the current world champions and have been incredibly successful, winning the last seven Six Nations titles in a row.

They are also aiming for their fifth straight Grand Slam. England have not lost a Six Nations match since 2018 and have set a world record by winning 33 matches in a row.

Their captain for this tournament is Meg Jones, stepping in while regular captain Zoe Stratford is unavailable because she's pregnant.

England's biggest challenge is likely to come from France. These two teams are strong rivals, and their match on the final weekend (17 May) could decide who wins the whole tournament.

Here's what to expect from the home nations teams.

Ireland is a combined team, with players from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

They're led by young captain Erin King and have been getting stronger in recent years.

One of their key players is Aoife Wafer, who was named the best player in last year's Six Nations tournament.

Scotland showed great progress by reaching the quarter-finals of the last World Cup and will hope to keep improving under their new coach.

Head coach Sione Fukofuka takes charge in what will be his first Six Nations campaign.

Wales will aim to end their losing run in the championship and avoid the Wooden Spoon (given to the team that finishes last.) They will play under the leadership of Kate Williams, who will be the team's only captain after another key player, Alex Callender was ruled out of the tournament with an ankle injury.

Several attendance records are set to be broken this year as the sport builds on the success of the World Cup.

Ticket sales for England's opening match have passed 75,000, ensuring the attendance will smash the current record of 58,498 for a Women's Six Nations match.

For those not able to watch the games in-person, every match is available live on BBC TV and BBC iPlayer, making it easy for fans across the UK to follow all the action.