Women’s rugby will take centre stage in 2025, in what could be a watershed year for the women’s game, with back-to-back international women’s rugby tournaments offering box office entertainment for fans, all kicking off with the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
The Northern Hemisphere will be the stage for the biggest moments in the women’s game next year, starting with Ireland versus France on the 22nd March in round one of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
Five rounds of fixtures, running from the 22nd March through to the 26th April, will culminate in Super Saturday and three consecutive clashes: Scotland against Ireland, Italy hosting Wales, and culminating with England against France.
Fans will be able to watch every minute of the action, from every game, thanks to worldwide live broadcast coverage, which includes the BBC in the UK, and France Télévisions covering the Championship for audiences in France. Virgin Media and RTÉ both offer coverage of fixtures in Ireland, and Sky Italia will continue their support of rugby in Italy, through their broadcast coverage.
Six Nations Rugby will once again offer fans multiple routes to engage with the Women’s Championship via its social and digital channels, match highlights, original content, promotions and the dedicated Women’s Six Nations Fantasy Rugby game.
The 2024 Women’s Championship underscored its significance at the heart of international rugby with audience growth that included: a 22% rise in matchday attendance, and a total global live audience of 16.2 million fans tuned in to watch the 2024 Championship, a 9% increase on the previous year. Positive signs of increased fan engagement with the women’s game were highlighted by: a 52% increase in participants in the Women’s fantasy rugby game, and 32,000 votes for the Player of the Championship award, which was an impressive 140% increase on 2023’s votes.
Following its conclusion, the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations hands the baton over to the 10th edition of the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off on 22nd August, and will be hosted in England, with women’s fixtures staged across the country. Offering new opportunities to engage and inspire new demographics and groups of fans with the game, the combined power of the two major events stands to offer the sport an incredible opportunity to showcase the best of women’s rugby and pave the way for even more fans to join the movement to grow the game on a global scale.
Following the announcement of the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations fixtures, Julie Paterson, Chief of Rugby at Six Nations Rugby, commented:
“The opportunity to take women’s rugby to new heights next year cannot be overstated. Having the spotlight on women’s rugby in 2025 can benefit the entire game, its players, and the fans. For the Guinness Women’s Six Nations to kick off such a significant stage in the trajectory of the women’s game feels both fitting and exciting in equal measure.
“Fans can expect box office entertainment next year, which stands to attract more people to the sport. There is also the opportunity to inspire a new generation of players to either consider rugby or continue their journey in the sport. The work being done to strengthen the development pathway means we can meet and support these players. The recent introduction of a Six Nations Women’s Summer Series, joining the now established Women’s U18 Festivals, offers consistent opportunities for players to gain international experience, and if next year’s Championship and then Rugby World Cup brings more players towards this pathway, our Unions and Federations are ready to support them.
“The numbers and statistics from previous editions of the Championship show signs of growth for the women’s game, and it is a testament to the work and commitment from each of the Six Nations Unions and Federations, on and off the pitch. As we go into next year’s Championship and a year rightfully dominated by women’s rugby, there is huge excitement from everyone involved to take the game to new heights.”
Venues for the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations will be announced in due course.