Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Ireland face France in the championship opener.Ben Brady/INPHO Ireland face France on a Thursday in 2026 Six Nations opener There will be only one fallow week in next year’s championship. 12.03pm, 19 May 2025 Share options IRELAND WILL FACE defending champions France on Thursday 5 February in the opening game of the 2026 Six Nations. The venue for the game in France has yet to be confirmed. Next year’s championship will involve a move to just one fallow week, rather than the usual two. Andy Farrell’s Ireland will host Italy in Dublin on the second weekend of the Six Nations before visiting England in round three. Advertisement The single fallow weekend follows that trip to London, with Ireland then hosting Wales and Scotland at the Aviva Stadium in the closing two rounds of the championship. The game against Wales will take place on the evening of Friday 6 March. Ireland play Scotland first on the final weekend’s ‘Super Saturday,’ with France hosting England in the closing game of the championship. Ireland’s opening fixture being on a Thursday night is partly due to the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony taking place the following evening in Italy. Six Nations organisers and broadcasters were keen to give the championship’s first fixture as much exposure as possible, meaning a shift to Thursday. Farrell’s men, who won the Six Nations in 2023 and 2024, will look to land a big opening blow as they take on Fabien Galthié’s reigning champions. With only one fallow week involved from now on, the run of three Six Nations games in three consecutive weeks will be a new challenge for Ireland and the other five teams. 2026 Six Nations fixtures: All times GMT France v Ireland, Thursday 5 February, 8.10pm, TBC Italy v Scotland, Saturday 7 February, 2.10pm, Stadio Olimpico England v Wales, Saturday 7 February, 4.40pm, Allianz Stadium Ireland v Italy, Saturday 14 February, 2.10pm, Aviva Stadium Scotland v England, Saturday 14 February, 4.40pm, Murrayfield Wales v France, Sunday 15 February, 3.10pm, Principality Stadium England v Ireland, Saturday 21 February, 2.10pm, Allianz Stadium Wales v Scotland, Saturday 21 February, 4.40pm, Principality Stadium France v Italy, Sunday 22 February, 3.10pm, TBC Ireland v Wales, Friday 6 March, 14 Feb, 8.10pm, Aviva Stadium Scotland v France, Saturday 7 March, 2.10pm, Murrayfield Italy v England, Saturday 7 March, 4.40pm, Stadio Olimpico Ireland v Scotland, Saturday 14 March, 2.10pm, Aviva Stadium Wales v Italy, Saturday 14 March, 4.40pm, Principality Stadium France v England, Saturday 14 March, 8.10pm, TBC Murray Kinsella View 3 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Ireland face France on a Thursday in 2026 Six Nations opener”. 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