The Women's Six Nations Championship: History, Top Winners & 2026 Best Moments

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There is hardly any more popular tournament among women's rugby teams than the Guinness Women's Six Nations. This premier competition attracts millions of rugby fans all around the world. The participants of this contest come not only from England and France, but also from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. What exactly makes this tournament so popular with spectators, and what you should know about the participating teams in 2026? This article has lots of interesting facts about this competition.

Women's Six Nations Championship History

Known also as the Guinness Women's Six Nations, the Women's Six Nations Championship is an international competition that features 6 national teams and began back in 1995. Originally, this competition included only 4 teams, but in 1998, France joined the union, and Ireland was replaced by Spain for several seasons, too. 

It became a championship of 6 teams in 2001, when England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, and Wales participated there. At that time, the Spanish team was ranked higher than the Italian one, but in 2007, the Italians would take the place of Spain.

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The Championship Trophy

The Women's Six Nations Championship trophy has changed with time. It was designed and created by Thomas Lyte and is made of silver, featuring engraving detail with the logos of the competing countries.

The last update of the trophy was in 2023. It became 25 inches tall and boasts 6 elegant arms reaching upward and representing each of the participating countries. This is a hand-crafted cup with a 24-carat gold plate on the interior. It symbolizes energy, strength, and a challenger mindset in female rugby. You can also see the names of the championship-winning teams on the base of the trophy. 

Top Winners Of the Women's Six Nations

Since the championship is held among 6 countries, some of them have become rugby winners more often than others. The first place is taken by England, which has won 21 out of the 29 tournaments. It secured 19 Grand Slams and 25 Triple Crowns. The past 7 tournaments have been won by the Red Roses in particular, and the last defeat of this team took place in 2018, when it lost to France. At the same time, the team has won 32 Six Nations matches and scored 252 tries. 

France takes second place since this country has become the winner of the title 6 times and won 5 Grand Slams. Other countries have been less successful. Ireland managed to become a champion in 2013 and 2015, and Scotland won the Home Nations championship in 1998. When it comes to Wales and Italy, they didn't succeed in this tournament, but it is made headlines in many news articles related to the rugby topic. 

Women's Six Nations 2025: Most Memorable Moments

The 2025 Women's Six Nations finished with the victory of England, who secured their 7th title and 4th Grand Slam in a row. The team has defeated France with a score of 43-42 in the final game. The emotions of winners can be compared with winning real money using bonuses from Casinos Analyzer.

The fact that England received 5 bonus-point wins in the Grand Slam provided the team with 3 bonus points, which helped to collect a total of 28 winning points.

France was the second, like every year since 2018, when it got the victory over England back in 2018. Ireland was the third since it lost a bonus point after a 26-19 defeat from Scotland, and Italy finished the campaign in an impressive win over Wales and took the 4th place in the table.

The Guinness Women's Six Nations 2026

This year's championship takes place for the 25th time in a row. It began on April 11 and is finishing on May 17, 2026, when England will play a deciding game against France to preserve the champion title. The main concern for the English is the fact that France has completed 4 bonus-point wins of their own for the first time since 2018, so this final will be very spectacular and competitive. The team hopes to follow the success of Canadians and finally beat England after such a long period of being silver.

The tournament lasts for 5 weeks, with every new round scheduled for Saturdays. You could follow three matches every Saturday, and the final round is planned for Super Sunday. The championship has a point system. A team gets 4 points for every win, 2 points if they end up in a draw, and a bonus point for scoring 4 or more times or losing by 7 points or fewer. Winning all 5 matches gives a Grand Slam reward!

The 2026 tournament includes several important aspects:

  • England began to bid for their 8th successive title by winning the match against Ireland in front of the 77-thousand audience on 11 April.

  • The next step was a victory over Scotland with an overwhelming score of 84-7, and a lucky chance of beating Wales to get the Triple Crown.

  • A match in Parma against Italy has confirmed the success of the English and extended their winning streak to 37 Tests.

  • A match between France and Italy has resulted in an impressive success of the first team, which won with the score of 40-7 and received three more consecutive victories over Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. 

  • Ireland had to move between winning and losing. The team hammered Italy at 57-20 and won a match against Wales with a 33-12 victory, but it was defeated by England and France, too. Their final match with Scotland takes place in Dublin, so it is important to avoid three heavy defeats in a row on this day.

  • Italy had to experience heavy losses to France, Ireland, and England, but the team secured a 41-14 victory over Scotland. They also managed to get a 3rd bonus point and receive more confidence before they set off to Cardiff for a final match.

  • When it comes to Wales, this team is looking forward to their first win in the tournament. It lost a bonus point in the game against Scotland and hopes for a miracle in the upcoming matches.

The final day of the Six Nations takes place on May 17 and features three consecutive matches.

  1. Wales vs Italy at 12:15 in Cardiff.

  2. Ireland vs Scotland at 14:30 at Dublin.

  3. France vs England at 16:45 at Bordeaux.

As a result of these matches, the winner list of the Women's Six Nations Championship looks as follows: