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Twickenham transport guide →
The autumn internationals are the November block of test matches in which the northern hemisphere unions host touring sides from the south. For English supporters it means the southern superpowers — South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina — arriving at Twickenham in consecutive weekends, in a series of fixtures that would otherwise only happen on a summer tour or at a World Cup.
Historically these matches were standalone tests. They carried prestige and settled arguments, but they did not feed into any wider competition, which left them vulnerable to being dismissed as glorified friendlies. That criticism is what the sport’s new structure was designed to answer.
From 2026 the autumn fixtures form part of the inaugural Nations Championship, a competition World Rugby has described as a structural shift in the international game. Rounds four to six replace the Autumn Nations Series, and they continue to be played at the Allianz Stadium in November.
The competition is contested between two groups. The northern hemisphere is represented by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The southern group comprises South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina, joined by Fiji and Japan as invitational teams. It is played every two years, in the years between Rugby World Cups and British and Irish Lions tours, so it does not congest an already crowded calendar.
The format splits across the year: the summer window provides the opening rounds and the autumn window rounds four to six, followed by a finals weekend. That finals weekend is staged at Twickenham, with the placement matches played across a single day — including the fixture between the top-ranked northern and southern sides.
Twickenham is the largest dedicated rugby union stadium in the world and the permanent home of the England men’s side. It was renamed the Allianz Stadium in 2024 under a naming-rights agreement, though the ground is still universally referred to by its original name, and the surrounding area in south-west London still functions exactly as it always has on a matchday.
A November international is a very different proposition from a summer fixture. Kick-offs are often mid-afternoon and finish in darkness, the weather is a genuine factor in both the rugby and the experience, and the walk from the station happens in the cold. The Twickenham seating guide covers how the tiers differ, and the venue guide sets out the basics.
Twickenham’s transport situation is the single most important thing to plan for. The stadium sits in a residential part of south-west London served principally by Twickenham station, which handles an enormous share of a 80,000-plus crowd on foot in a short window. Whitton and Richmond spread the load and are frequently the better choice on the way out.
Stewarded queuing operates after matches and the walk back routinely takes far longer than the walk in. The Twickenham transport guide sets out the realistic routes and timings. For the Nations Championship specifically, the tickets guide, seating guide and transport guide cover the new competition in detail.
The autumn window has a character that separates it from the Six Nations. Six Nations matches are between familiar rivals who meet every year and know each other exhaustively. Autumn fixtures bring opponents England may face only once in a cycle, which produces genuinely unpredictable rugby and a different tactical problem for both coaches.
It is also the window where the northern and southern hemisphere seasons collide. Southern sides arrive at the end of their own long campaign and travel across the world to play in cold, often wet conditions that bear no resemblance to what they have spent the year in. Northern teams are early in their season and at home. That asymmetry is a real factor in results, and it is part of why home records in November tend to be strong.
Autumn international tickets are distributed largely through the RFU’s own channels and through affiliated rugby clubs, which receive allocations to distribute among their members. That club route is the traditional way in and remains one of the more reliable, though it requires membership well before tickets are released.
Demand varies sharply by opponent. Fixtures against New Zealand and South Africa are the hardest to obtain and sell out immediately; matches against tier-two touring sides are considerably more available. Now that the November matches carry Nations Championship standing rather than friendly status, demand across the whole window is expected to firm up. The England men’s rugby team page covers the side, and Six Nations in London covers the other half of the Twickenham international calendar.