Qatar Exits 2028 Nations Championship Hosting
Qatar has withdrawn from hosting the 2028 Nations Championship finals and cancelled its Qatar Airways title sponsorship.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Other Sports
Qatar will not host the 2028 Nations Championship finals, and the planned title sponsorship with Qatar Airways has been cancelled. Both parties agreed to withdraw from the deal after months of negotiations.
Why it matters
The withdrawal leaves the inaugural competition without a host for 2028 and without a title sponsor, forcing organizers to find replacements. The Six Nations and four Sanzaar unions that run the event are confident replacement deals can recoup the lost funds.
The deal covered six-match final series in 2028 and 2032 and title sponsorship for four editions, with staging rights and sponsorship valued at around £80m per Qatar-hosted tournament, £15m of which came from Qatar Airways. Replacement hosts remain unidentified, and no title sponsor has been named for the inaugural competition.
The players
Nations Championship
The new annual international rugby competition run by the Six Nations and four Sanzaar unions, which is now seeking a replacement host for its 2028 finals.
Qatar Airways
The Qatari state-owned airline whose planned title sponsorship of the competition has been cancelled.
The details
Qatar declined to implement the deal before the July matches, and both sides agreed to withdraw after months of negotiations. The decision follows uncertainty caused by the war in the Middle East, including US airstrikes on Iran ordered in March and the regional escalation that followed.
Timeline
March 2026: US airstrikes on Iran were ordered, escalating regional conflict.
July 2026: Qatar declined to implement the deal before the first series of matches.
End of November 2026: Nations Championship finals are held at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.
Sunday 29 November 2026: Grand final to determine champions is held at Allianz Stadium.
Early 2027: The Nations Championship plans to issue an invitation to tender for 2028 hosts.
Season Trajectory
The Nations Championship, built around the Six Nations and four Sanzaar unions, is testing whether a new annual global rugby format can attract hosts and sponsors. The withdrawal of Qatar, a sponsor and host that had committed to multiple editions, is a early test of the competition's commercial foundations.
Fans planning to attend the November 2026 finals weekend at Twickenham should note that 70% of tickets have already been sold. The 2028 host and title sponsor remain unannounced, so the venue and branding of future editions are not yet settled.
The takeaway
The loss of a host and sponsor this early shows that a new global competition depends on securing multiple backers well before its first edition. Track the invitation to tender in early 2027 to see which nations and partners step in.
What happens next
The Nations Championship plans to issue an invitation to tender for 2028 hosts in early 2027, and the grand final is scheduled for Sunday 29 November 2026 at Allianz Stadium.
Further reading
For more on the sport's wider competitive calendar, see Other Sports.
