World Rugby has confirmed that the United States and Canada will join the Pacific Nations Cup, as the competition has expanded from four to six teams. The North American duo join the tournament that already features Eddie Jones’ Japan, and the Pacific Island trio of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
Rugby fans can mark the dates for this exciting annual competition, when the Pacific Nations Cup plays out over five weekends during the southern hemisphere’s international window (23 August-21 September).
Run by World Rugby in partnership with the six unions (Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and USA), the competition is set to level up global rugby as a cornerstone of a new annual calendar aimed at driving competitiveness ahead of an expanded Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.
Creating an annual competition and rivalries like those seen in the Men’s Six Nations and Rugby Championship, the tournament will combine with the two-division global calendar competitions, as the reported ‘World League’ will be launching in 2026.
TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE – 2024 PACIFIC NATIONS CUP
The tournament revamp has come with a new structure, beginning with two pools of three teams. We overviewed the lay-out of the pools and the play off system in our previous article, when the news was first confirmed in October 2023. Now, the fixtures have been nailed on, with the matches set-out as listed below:
POOL A
Fiji vs Samoa – Thursday 22nd August
Samoa vs Tonga – Thursday 29th August
Tonga vs Fiji – Thursday 5th September
POOL B
Canada vs Japan – Sunday 25th August
USA vs Canada – Saturday 31st August
Japan vs USA – Friday 6th September
PLAY OFFS
5th Placed Play Off (Pool A 3rd Place vs Pool B 3rd Place) – Friday 13th September
Semi Final 1 (Pool A 1st Place vs Pool B 2nd Place) – Friday 13th September
Semi Final 2 (Pool A 2nd Place vs Pool B 1st Place – Saturday 14th September
3rd Place Play Off (Loser Semi Final 1 vs Loser Semi Final 2) – Friday 20th September
Final (Winner Semi Final 1 vs Winner Semi Final 2) – Friday 20th September
Japan men’s head coach Eddie Jones said: “The Pacific Nations Cup is really important for Japan because it allows us to play regular tests against strong countries in tournament conditions, which is great practice for the players for Rugby World Cup.
“The Pacific Nations Cup fits in right next to the Rugby Championship and Six Nations in providing that regular competition for Pacific nations. Having finals is also a good way for players to experience games that have consequences, and it is great for Japan to host them in the first year, showing why it is a great rugby country.”
Former Fiji Head Coach Simon Raiwalui, is now World Rugby’s High-Performance Pathways and Player Development Manager, he said: “We are incredibly proud and excited to launch the revamped Pacific Nations Cup this year with a vibrant brand and an optimised match schedule. The six teams taking part in the competition will benefit from long-term certainty around fixtures, allowing them to optimise their preparations and engage with fans and commercial partners.
“With so much talent in the Pacific Islands, Japan and the two North American teams, fans can expect a tough contest and a great spectacle epitomised with epic finals in Japan.”
USA Rugby CEO, Ross Young added: “This is a massively exciting day for USA Rugby, as many years of hard work and collaboration comes together in an official schedule of events. Kicking off our Pacific Nations Cup campaign on home soil in Los Angeles will be a premier experience as we lay foundation for the finals series to be hosted here in 2025. We’re thrilled for the rugby community to join us in this new era of annual competition and opportunity for USA fans and partners alike.”
Tonga Rugby Union Acting CEO Aisea Aholelei said: “The Tonga Rugby Union is excited about this revamped Pacific Nations Cup because of its significance to Tongan rugby and the ‘Ikale Tahi team. The competition will be fierce as all teams will try and prove they belong to the top teams in world rugby. Tonga will take this challenge with a smile and a thumping heart. It will be exciting.”
Rugby Canada CEO, Nathan Bombrys added: “As we saw this past weekend at HSBC SVNS, Vancouver is the preeminent rugby city in North America. We are very excited to see our Canadian national team return to BC Place for an international match against an exciting Japan team. The Pacific Nations Cup provides consistent annual fixtures and quality competition for our men, and we look forward to kicking off the tournament in front of a Canadian crowd in August.”
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “World Rugby’s mission is a global sport for all. The reimagined Pacific Nations Cup is an example of our mission in action. Combined with the proposed new two-division global competition model from 2026 and crossover fixtures against high-performance unions, performance unions could be playing an unprecedented number of annual fixtures from 2026.
“The model supports welfare and also provides unprecedented certainty of fixtures for unions to help increase awareness, excitement and value, while the grand final in the USA every two years is at the heart of our strategy to grow rugby visibility, accessibility and relevance on the road to Rugby World Cup 2031 and 2033. In short, this is a competition that serves several important purposes.”