Women’s rugby has built its biggest audiences yet around a handful of marquee fixtures, and the 2026 season delivered on nearly every front.
A Record-Breaking Six Nations
The 2026 Women’s Six Nations ran from 11 April to 17 May, and England swept the tournament, claiming the title, the Grand Slam and the Triple Crown in a single campaign — their 20th Grand Slam. Across 15 matches, the tournament drew a total attendance of 279,760, averaging more than 18,600 fans per game, and one fixture alone brought in a competition-record 77,120 spectators. That kind of crowd puts rugby firmly in the conversation for our roundup of women’s sports breaking attendance records.
- England’s Zoe Harrison finished as the tournament’s top point scorer
- Marlie Packer led the way in tries scored across the championship
- The 15 matches produced 146 tries between them, an average of nearly ten per game
Beyond the Six Nations
WXV, World Rugby’s global competition, sits above the regional tournaments and gives nations outside Europe a pathway to test themselves against the world’s best, feeding directly into Rugby World Cup qualification. Southern Hemisphere nations use the WXV series the way European sides use the Six Nations — as both a title race and a form guide heading into global tournaments.
What to Watch Next
With England now the dominant force in the sport, attention turns to whether challengers like France and Ireland can close the gap before the next global cycle. For a look at how England’s rugby dominance compares to other standout squads this year, see our list of women’s sports teams dominating 2026. And if rugby’s record crowds have you curious about what else is drawing big numbers, our historic moments in women’s sports this year feature has the full picture. With crowds this size becoming routine, unions across the world are under growing pressure to invest at a level that matches the demand.