After an exciting pool phase, which saw the notable results at the bottom half of the table with Germany defeating Romania and Switzerland’s historic win against the Netherlands, the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship 2026 enters in the semi-final and finals phase of the competition.
The Cup semi-finals will see two classical derbies:
- Georgia and Romania will play the traditional Antim Cup in the Eastern Crunch – a head-to-head with the two Rugby World Cup 2027 qualified teams.
- Portugal and Spain to do battle in an Iberian derby between the two other European RWC Qualifiers.
The winners will then contest the final for Rugby Europe Championship.
In the ranking semi-finals, all eyes will be on Yverdon les Bains where there will be a ‘winner takes all’ encounter between Switzerland and Germany – with the loser of the semi-final very likely facing relegation to the Trophy division, based on the results of the 2025 and 2026 editions.
Belgium will host the Netherlands in Dendermonde in a re-run of last year 5th Final place match which qualified the Black Devils for the World Cup Qualification Tournament.
All eight teams will then gather in Madrid on Sunday March 15th for a Championship Finals, where four games will decide the final ranking of the competition and the annual European Champions.
The confirmed fixtures for the semis for the weekend of March 7 and 8 2026 are as follows:
- Switzerland v Germany – Saturday 7th March – 12.00 UTC – 1.00pm local – Stade Municipal, Yverdon les Bains
- Belgium v Netherlands – Saturday 7th March – 19.00 UTC – 8.00pm local - Sportcomplex Sint-Gillis, Dendermonde
- Georgia v Romania – Sunday 8th March – 11.00 UTC – 15.00pm local - Avchala Stadium, Tbilisi
- Portugal v Spain – Sunday 8th March – 15.00 UTC – 15.00pm local - Lisbon (Final venue TBC)
