With the new season just weeks away, fixtures have been confirmed for the Men's and Women’s Trophy, while the Conference divisions have also revealed their schedule for the 2026/27 campaign.
Last season produced an incredible battle in the Men's Trophy. Czechia were ultimately crowned champions, but it was Poland who claimed the prize every side craved: promotion back to the Championship at the end of the two-year cycle.
Czechia will open the defence of their title against Sweden, a side who also pushed hard for promotion during the last cycle and will again be among the favourites this time around.
Germany will attract plenty of attention too, after being relegated from the Championship last season despite having beaten RWC 2027-qualified Romania during that campaign.
Malta arrive from the other direction, having won their play-off fixture against Conference side Austria, and will relish the step up. Denmark and Lithuania complete the line-up.
There's a new face in the Women's Trophy too: Georgia join the division after a successful promotion application, lining up alongside Finland, Sweden and Germany.
The Men's Conference promises to be just as competitive, with 27 matches spread across five pools. As in previous seasons, pool winners will have the chance to declare their intention for promotion to the Trophy, with play-off matches deciding the final places at the end of the campaign.
There are plenty of storylines to follow, not least the debut of Gibraltar and the return of Greece to the Rugby Europe XV pyramid. Hungary, Slovakia and Bosnia have all opted not to take part in this year's competition.
The Women's Conference, meanwhile, continues to give emerging unions a platform to arrange competitive Test matches against one another, with Bulgaria hosting Norway on 7 November.
