by Qatar Airways has agreed a deal worth up to £80 million to become title sponsors of the New Nations Championship in a move that underlines Rugby Union’s determination to follow other sports for investments from the Middle East.
It was revealed in October that Qatar had been chosen to host the second series of Nations Championship finals, in 2028, and the national airline is now on board as sponsors. The eight-year agreement will cover the series of qualifying matches and finals for the first four editions of the new competition running from 2026 to 2034.
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Qatar Airways is entirely owned by the Qatari government which, as with the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is leading the project. The airline has already announced a deal as title sponsor of this summer’s British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.
Qatar’s move into rugby is partly a recognition that their neighbors Saudi Arabia will dominate the football landscape over the next decade after winning the right to stage the 2034 World Cup and agreeing to several sponsorship deals and broadcasting with FIFA. Saudi money is also increasingly important in boxing, Formula One, golf and tennis, but the kingdom has not followed through in initial discussions about investing in rugby.
The inaugural Nations Championship will take place next year in a joint venture run by the Six Nations and Sanzaar Southern Hemisphere unions, with the help of World Rugby. The Six Nations teams will play three matches and three at home against the Sanzaar nations and two others – expected to be Japan and Fiji – in July and November followed by a final series.
Under the proposed tournament structure, the sixth-ranked European team after the six group matches will play its southern hemisphere equivalent, with fifth facing fifth and so on, leading to a grand final to determine the winners of the national championship. All final matches of the series will take place in the same city, with Doha to host all six playoff matches in 2028 after London hosts the first event next year.
Qatar had wanted to host the first four Nations Championship finals, but the proposal was rejected by the Irish and French unions due to uncertainty over participations and concerns over the country’s human rights record. The terms chiefs’ agreement is understood to give Qatar the option to stage the event again in 2030 or 2032, however, if certain revenue targets are met.
An announcement regarding the staging deal has been delayed by ongoing discussions between Six Nations and Sanzaar over revenue division and the distribution of prize money and appearances.
Six Nations and Sanzaar also continue to hold talks with other commercial partners before confirming the Qatar Airways deal. The size of the deal will make it the largest title sponsorship in World Rugby, with each Nations Championship worth around £20m, eclipsing the £12m sponsorship value of the Guinness Six Nations , which covers both men’s and women’s competitions.
Securing a global brand is also seen as a significant boost for the nations championship. Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere, in contrast, has no global sponsor and is funded by several smaller regional agreements.
A Six Nations spokesperson said they do not engage in comment or speculation on commercial matters.
