World Rugby U20 Championship Rebranded as Junior World Championship – Dates, Pools & Schedule for 2026 Confirmed

World Rugby has announced the dates, pools and match schedule for the expanded 16-team tournament that will be known as the World Rugby Junior World Championship from 2026, instead of the World Rugby U20 Championship.

For the first time since 2009, the tournament returns to a 16-team format, and in 2026, Georgia will host the tournament from 27 June to 18 July, with five rounds of action across Tbilisi and Kutaisi.

World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson said: “We are thrilled to unveil the Junior World Championship, a bold new identity for one of our most important competitions. Expanding to 16 teams underlines our ambition to grow the game globally and provide more opportunities for emerging talent to experience world-class rugby… Georgia has proven to be an outstanding host in the past.”

2026 Pools

Japan will be the sole Asian representation as was announced in 2o25, along with 15 other national sides which are pooled in four groups of four teams. Japan, Fiji, the USA, and Uruguay were added to the existing 12 teams from the tournament hosted in Italy in 2025, as the highest-ranked sides since the last time the U20 Trophy was played in 2024.

The Junior Brave Blossoms are in Pool B with New Zealand, Italy, and Scotland, and they will play their matches in Tblisi.

Japan Head Coach Naoya Okubo said via the JRFU, “We will be playing against strong teams such as New Zealand, Italy and Scotland with only four days between matches. In order to physically equip our players to run for 80 minutes, we will be evolving the competitive environment for our players to be on the world stage by playing games against League One teams and practicing scrums.”

The U20 training squad for Japan was announced, as well as training camps.

The four pool winners will progress to the semi-finals, while second-placed teams will compete for fifth to eighth place.

Third and fourth-placed teams will contest rankings from ninth to 12th and 13th to 16th, respectively, with seeding based on pool-stage competition points.

• Pool A: South Africa, Wales, Georgia, Uruguay
• Pool B: New Zealand, Italy, Scotland, Japan
• Pool C: Argentina, England, Ireland, USA
• Pool D: France, Australia, Spain, Fiji

The defending champions are South Africa, while this new format seems to lock out any other teams from competing, as there is no U20 Trophy tournament.

Junior World Championship 2026 Schedule

Georgian Rugby Union President Davit Kacharava said: “We are proud and excited to welcome the World Rugby Junior World Championship back to Georgia in its bold new format. Hosting this prestigious competition across Tbilisi and Kutaisi, two vibrant cities, and three fantastic venues, is a privilege for our proud rugby nation.”

Kutaisi will be staging two pools at AIA Arena, while Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi will host Pools A and C.

The knockout stages will be played across two days per round, culminating in the third-place play-off and final at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on 18 July.

The full schedule for the tournament can be seen here.

Japan U20 Schedule

• Saturday 27 June 2026 – Japan vs New Zealand
• Thursday 2 July 2026 – Japan vs Italy
• Tuesday 7 July 2026 – Japan vs Scotland

U20 Rugby News

• World Rugby Extends Lower Tackle Height Trial to World Rugby U20 Championship 2026.
• Japan Will Join Expanded World Rugby U20 Championship in 2026.
• World Rugby U20 Championship Could Be Expanded To Include 16 Teams In 2026, While the U20 Trophy Could Be a Cross-Regional Competition.
• Chile Could Host New World Rugby U20 Challenger Cup in 2026.