ITV Secures 2027 Rugby World Cup Rights and England Coverage Through 2029

What happened: ITV has agreed a live rights deal for the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup, according to The Guardian, in a move that further consolidates its position in UK international rugby broadcasting. The agreement means ITV will carry the 2027 tournament and, because of its wider rights portfolio, will have live coverage of every England men’s international until at least 2029.

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The 2027 Rugby World Cup deal sits alongside ITV’s existing joint Six Nations arrangement with the BBC. Under that Six Nations setup, ITV has two-thirds of the tournament’s games and all England matches. The new Rugby World Cup contract therefore does not stand alone; it strengthens a broader pattern in which England men’s internationals remain highly visible on free-to-air commercial television in the UK.

Why it matters: Rights deals are tournament infrastructure. They determine not just where fans watch, but how a sport is packaged across cycles. By securing the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup, ITV gives itself a clear runway from annual international windows into the sport’s biggest global event. For England supporters, the biggest practical takeaway is continuity: the broadcaster showing major England matches now has a confirmed path through the next World Cup cycle and beyond.

Tournament impact: The Rugby World Cup is the anchor, but the deal also matters because of what surrounds it. ITV has also bought live rights for every game of the 2026 and 2028 editions of the new Nations Championship. The Guardian notes that the Nations Championship begins on Saturday with six matches, including New Zealand v France, Australia v Ireland and South Africa v England. That gives ITV a regular high-end international product before and after the 2027 World Cup.

What changed: The confirmed shift is ITV adding the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup to a portfolio that already includes significant Six Nations coverage and now the 2026 and 2028 Nations Championship. This creates a more joined-up calendar for UK viewers: Six Nations, Nations Championship windows, England fixtures and the World Cup all sit within ITV’s live rights picture to at least 2029.

What to watch: The next practical questions are about presentation, scheduling and how ITV balances volume across overlapping international properties. The source confirms rights, not production plans, commentary teams, match allocations beyond the stated competitions, or commercial terms. It also does not state contract value. For fans, the near-term marker is the start of the Nations Championship, which will test how the new competition lands as part of the broader international rugby calendar.

Confidence: Confirmed by the source: ITV has agreed live rights for the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup, will have every England men’s international until at least 2029, holds two-thirds of Six Nations games and all England matches through its joint deal with the BBC, and has live rights for every game of the 2026 and 2028 Nations Championship. Still to follow: broadcast schedules, presentation details, audience impact and financial terms.