Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Extends Support to 2026 WXV Global Series – Fixtures Confirmed

The 2026 WXV Global Series and Challenger matches have been confirmed, although most were already known, and World Rugby has confirmed Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. have extended their successful global partnership, now committing to the women’s game through support for the WXV Global Series.

Updated August 2026

The 2026 WXV Global Series and WXV Global Series Challenger will see over 100 international fixtures played across three years on the road to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029.

World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby, Sally Horrox, said: “Mitsubishi Electric has been an outstanding partner during a transformative period for women’s rugby. From the launch of WXV to the success of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, they have consistently shared our ambition to grow the game and create meaningful connections with fans through innovative storytelling and digital engagement.”

We had already updated the Hong Kong China and Japan Tests in our tournament guide some weeks ago, but it’s good they are finally out there. The slow-drip approach to individual nations announcing matches was not ideal for a competition which has promised a lot but has some immediate concerns. Notably, as some commentators have pointed out, the scheduling leaves a lot to be desired as matches overlap.

We had also pointed out that the shortened version of the Men’s XV Pacific Nations Cup 2026 tournament will clash with the dates as that takes place in Japan from 12-19 September, featuring the hosts, the defending champions Fiji, as well as Canada and the USA.

Mitsubishi Electric Extends World Rugby Partnership

World Rugby confirmed Mitsubishi Electric will elevate its support through an expanded partnership after having first joined forces ahead of the inaugural WXV competition in 2023.

Mitsubishi Electric becomes the presenting partner of the WXV Global Series and WXV Global Series Challenger and will continue to enhance the fan experience through:

• Premium digital content
• Profiling the top-performing players
• Exclusive digital activations designed to bring supporters closer to the world’s best players and teams throughout the competition.

Hans-Joerg Hinkel, General Manager, EMEA Head of Communication at Mitsubishi Electric, said: “Becoming Presenting Partner of the WXV Global Series is a natural extension of our commitment to women’s rugby, connecting the work we’re doing closer to home with PWR and the RPA to develop our Parallel Potential platform, to the very top of the international game.

WXV is where the world’s best players and teams come together, and it gives us a powerful global platform to champion the sport, inspire the next generation, and continue building something that lasts, both on and off the pitch.”

We have heard through the grapevine (unconfirmed) that it’s been a struggle to get commercial partners on board despite the wave of optimism over women’s rugby and recent reports showing the clear growth of the women’s game.

WXV Global Series 2026

Photo Credit: JRFU – Japan Sakura XV won the AREWC 2026

The 2026 WXV Global Series features 12 of the world’s leading women’s national teams competing in a new international competition model across a dedicated eight-week window from 12 September through to 31 October: Australia, Canada, England, France, Italy, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, USA, and Wales.

The top 12 teams will be competing in a home-and-away, cross-regional touring model.

The first Japan matches were announced in June, and the Sakura XV will travel to Ireland for two Tests preceded by a match in Italy, before home matches against Wales.

Japan Sakura XV – 2026 Schedule

Test 1 – Japan Sakura XV vs Fiji (This falls outside of the WXV competition)

The match officials were confirmed, which include referee Ella Goldsmith (RA), as well as the assistant Referees from HKCR (Sunny Lee) and Hibiki Ikeda (JRFU).

• Date: Friday, 4 September, 2026 – Kick-off 17:00 JST
• Venue: Japan Base, Fukuoka

Test 2 – Ireland vs Japan Sakura XV

• Date: Sunday, September 27 2026 – Kick-off time 12:45 PM (8:45 PM Japan time)
• Venue: Dexcon Stadium (Galway, Ireland)

Test 3 – Ireland vs Japan Sakura XV (This falls outside of the WXV competition)

• Date: Saturday, October 3 2026 – Kick-off time 14:00 (22:00 Japan time)
• Venue: Virgin Media Park (Cork, Ireland)

Test 4 – Japan Sakura XV vs Wales

• Date: Friday, 23rd October 2026 – Kick-off time 20:00 JST
• Venue: Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo, Japan

Test 5 – Japan Sakura XV vs Wales

• Date: Saturday, October 31st 2026 – Kick-off time TBD
• Venue:  Kumagaya Sports Culture Park Rugby Field (Saitama), Japan

WXV Global Challenger Series 2026

The WXV Global Series Challenger 2026 runs from 13 September to 26 September 2026, with six emerging nations (teams who were ranked from 13th to 17th in the world, alongside Brazil, who qualified through competing in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025) competing at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground in Hong Kong.

The competition’s nine matches will be played as three triple-header matchdays, and the teams competing are (including World Rugby ranking):

• Fiji – 13th
• Spain – 14th
• Samoa – 15th
• Hong Kong China – 16th
• Netherlands – 17th
• Brazil – 25th

Hong Kong China’s women’s XVs team will play on home soil for the first time since 2024. They finished third in the 2026 Asia Rugby Emirates Women’s Championship, losing to Japan and drawing with Kazakhstan. Their U20 and U23s have held competitive matches this year too.

Photo Credit – HKCR – Hong Kong China women’s XV at AREWC 2026

Robbie McRobbie, General Manager, Sports Content and Development, Kai Tak Sports Park said: “Hosting the WXV Global Series Challenger at Kai Tak Sports Park is a tremendous honour and a significant milestone for Hong Kong. This achievement underscores our commitment to growing sport at every level, from grassroots participation to elite international competition.

It also reinforces our support for the ongoing development of women’s rugby and the aspirations of the Hong Kong China Rugby Women’s Team. We are proud to provide a world-class stage for the sport and to contribute to the continued growth of women’s rugby both locally and globally” said the former HKCR CEO.

WXV Global Challenger Series 2026 Schedule

Tickets for the WXV Global Series Challenger will go on sale from 4 August 2026 via the official HKCR ticketing platform. (Local Hong Kong time shown)

Round one – Sunday 13 September

• 12:00 – Spain vs Fiji
• 15:30 – Hong Kong China vs Brazil
• 19:00 – Netherlands vs Samoa

Round two – Saturday 19 September

• 12:00 – Samoa vs Spain
• 15:30 – Hong Kong China vs Fiji
• 19:00 – Brazil vs Netherlands

Round three – Saturday 26 September

• 12:00 – Fiji vs Netherlands
• 15:30 – Hong Kong China vs Samoa
• 19:00 – Spain vs Brazil

World Rugby added that “nations not involved in the inaugural British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2027 will take part in crossover fixtures, pitting WXV Global Series Challenger sides against those on the main WXV Global Series.”

Qualifying for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 will be the main target for the teams competing in the WXV Global Series events.

How To Watch the WXV 2026

The matches are due to be broadcast on RugbyPassTV, but we will update this as more information is made available.

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