Rugby coverage in the US is split across more streaming services than almost any other sport, and 2026 has scrambled things further by replacing the old summer and autumn Test windows with a brand-new international competition. If you're trying to figure out where to actually find live rugby without paying for cable, here's what's airing right now, what's coming up, and exactly which service carries it.
Updated September 27, 2026: The 2026/27 club season (Premiership, United Rugby Championship, Top 14) just kicked off, and the inaugural Nations Championship resumes in November with a new Finals Weekend format.
Quick Answer: Where to Watch Rugby Right Now
There's no single app that carries every rugby competition in the US. Depending on what you want to watch, you'll need one (or a combination) of these:
| Competition | US Streaming Home | Cost | Status (Sept 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership Rugby, URC, Top 14 | FloRugby | $29.99/mo, or $10.62/mo billed annually (current promo) | Season underway |
| Investec Champions Cup / EPCR Challenge Cup | FloRugby | Included with FloRugby | Starts in December |
| Nations Championship (Tests) | RugbyPass TV | Free | Resumes Nov 6, Finals Nov 27–29 |
| Six Nations | Peacock | $10.99/mo or $109.99/yr | Off-season, returns ~Feb 2027 |
| Major League Rugby (US domestic) | ESPN Select | $13.99/mo (verify MLR's exact tier) | 2026 season completed |
| Super Rugby Pacific | RugbyPass TV | Free | Off-season, returns ~Feb 2027 |
Rugby union and rugby league are different sports with separate broadcasters. If you're looking for the NRL specifically, see our guide to watching NRL without cable.
Club Rugby: Premiership, URC and Top 14 on FloRugby
FloSports holds the exclusive US rights to the sport's three biggest club competitions: England's Gallagher Premiership (branded "PREM Rugby"), the United Rugby Championship (URC), and France's Top 14. The URC's fifth season kicked off on September 26, and the Premiership's 2026/27 campaign is already underway, so this is where most weekly rugby viewing in the US happens right now.
FloRugby
Covers: Premiership Rugby, United Rugby Championship, Top 14, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup and Rugby Europe.
Price: $29.99/month billed monthly, or $10.62/month billed annually under FloSports' current "8 months free" annual promotion. This is a live promotional rate rather than a fixed list price, so confirm it on florugby.com before subscribing.
Devices: Web, iOS, Android, plus the FloSports Connected TV app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Samsung and Vizio smart TVs.
No cable subscription or bundled channel package is required.
Note: Super Rugby Pacific is not part of FloRugby's lineup — see below.
The Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, Europe's top club knockout competitions, also stream on FloRugby once the pool stages begin in December. There's no separate subscription needed if you already have FloRugby for the domestic leagues.
For a broader side-by-side look at how FloRugby compares with other rugby-adjacent services, our guide to the best streaming services for rugby fans breaks down value for money by viewing habits.
International Rugby: The New Nations Championship
This is the biggest structural change in international rugby for 2026. World Rugby has launched the Nations Championship, a new biennial competition that folds the old July tours and November internationals into a single standings-based league. Twelve teams — the six Six Nations unions, the four traditional Rugby Championship nations, plus Fiji and Japan — are split into Northern and Southern Hemisphere conferences.
Each side plays six cross-conference matches: three in July, three in November. The conference winners then meet in a dedicated Finals Weekend at Twickenham (branded Allianz Stadium), running November 27–29, 2026, with a true 1st-vs-1st Grand Final closing the tournament. In effect, this replaces the standalone Rugby Championship and Autumn Nations Series for nations involved in the competition.
RugbyPass TV
Officially owned by World Rugby, and the exclusive way to watch the Nations Championship live in the US.
Price: Free, with no monthly or annual subscription fee.
Devices: Web browser, iOS and Android apps, and it's also available as a channel on Samsung TV Plus.
Create an account with an email address to start streaming.
It's also the free US home for Super Rugby Pacific, the Australia/New Zealand/Pacific club competition, when that season returns in February.
The Southern Hemisphere Series already wrapped in July, with South Africa and France currently topping their respective conference tables. The Northern Hemisphere Series resumes November 6 and runs through November 21, setting up the Finals Weekend.
The World Rugby Nations Cup is a separate, second-tier competition launching alongside the Nations Championship for nations like the USA, Georgia and Uruguay. There's no promotion or relegation between the two competitions until 2030.
Six Nations: Off-Season Until February
The 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations ran February 5 through March 14 and has already concluded for the year; France retained the title. The tournament remains separate from the Nations Championship and returns for its 2027 edition on Peacock, NBC's streaming platform, which currently holds exclusive US rights.
If you're planning ahead for the next Six Nations, our dedicated how to watch Six Nations without cable guide covers the full schedule, kickoff times and free-to-air options once fixtures are confirmed.
Major League Rugby: Off-Season
Major League Rugby, the US domestic professional league, wrapped its 2026 season in June, with the Chicago Hounds crowned champions. According to the league, Championship Weekend streamed on ESPN's streaming service in the US. That service has since been restructured: ESPN+ was rebranded into two tiers, ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited, and both saw a price increase take effect September 17, 2026. ESPN Select — the tier closest to the old ESPN+ — now runs $13.99 a month or $139.99 a year; ESPN Unlimited, which adds the live ESPN cable channels, runs $31.99 a month or $320 a year. [VERIFY BEFORE PUBLISHING: confirm which ESPN tier carries MLR's 2027 regular season and Championship Weekend, since the league's original broadcast announcement predates this rebrand.]
Watching Rugby From Outside the US
Streaming rights are territory-specific, and a US-based subscription to FloRugby, Peacock or ESPN's streaming service is generally intended for use inside the US. If you're an American traveling abroad and want to keep access to a service you already pay for, a VPN can help maintain your usual connection, but it doesn't grant rights you wouldn't otherwise have, and it won't unlock a service's home-country library if you're not already a subscriber there.
A VPN may help a subscriber access a service while traveling, but availability still depends on that service's own terms and the underlying broadcast rights. Using a VPN to bypass a service's geographic restrictions may violate its terms of service.
If you do want a VPN for travel, NordVPN is one widely used option with servers in the regions where most major rugby broadcasters operate. This is an affiliate link, and we haven't independently tested its performance with any specific rugby streaming service.
Comparing the Main Rugby Streaming Options
| Service | Monthly | Annual | Free Trial | Rugby Content | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FloRugby | $29.99 | $10.62/mo billed annually (current promo) | Not standard | Premiership, URC, Top 14, Champions Cup, Challenge Cup | Weekly club rugby fans |
| RugbyPass TV | Free | Free | N/A | Nations Championship, Super Rugby Pacific, SVNS, U20s, archive matches | International Tests and Super Rugby |
| Peacock | $10.99 | $109.99 | Not standard | Six Nations (Feb–March) | Six Nations viewers only |
| ESPN Select | $13.99 | $139.99 | Not standard | Major League Rugby (select events — verify current tier) | US domestic league fans |
Pricing and availability can change. Check each provider's official website before subscribing.
FAQs
Can I watch rugby in the US without cable?
Yes. Every major rugby competition currently airing in the US streams through a standalone app — FloRugby for club rugby, RugbyPass TV for the Nations Championship and Super Rugby Pacific, Peacock for the Six Nations, and ESPN's streaming service for Major League Rugby. None require a cable or satellite package.
Is there a free way to watch rugby live?
RugbyPass TV, which is owned by World Rugby, streams the Nations Championship, Super Rugby Pacific and several other international events at no cost in the US. Club competitions like the Premiership, URC and Top 14 are not available for free.
What happened to the Rugby Championship?
The traditional Rugby Championship between Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, along with the separate Autumn Nations Series, have effectively been absorbed into the new Nations Championship for 2026, which now determines a single set of standings across a July and November window.
Do I need both FloRugby and Peacock?
Only if you want both club rugby and the Six Nations. FloRugby doesn't carry the Six Nations, and Peacock doesn't carry the Premiership, URC or Top 14, so fans who follow both types of rugby typically need separate subscriptions for each.
Can I watch United Rugby Championship games on my phone?
Yes. FloRugby has dedicated iOS and Android apps in addition to its Connected TV app, so URC, Premiership and Top 14 matches can be streamed on mobile devices.
Is the Nations Championship the same as the Six Nations?
No. The Six Nations remains a separate annual tournament played each February and March among six European nations. The Nations Championship is a new, broader competition that reorganizes the July and November international windows for twelve nations, including all six Six Nations teams.
Bottom Line
Right now, if you follow club rugby, FloRugby is the one subscription that covers the Premiership, URC and Top 14 as the 2026/27 season plays out. If international Tests are more your thing, RugbyPass TV carries the new Nations Championship completely free through its November Finals Weekend. Six Nations fans have a longer wait: that tournament won't return until February 2027, and Peacock remains the exclusive US destination when it does. Match your subscription to the competition you actually want to watch rather than paying for all of them at once.
