"VAN" (Sports Desk - 16.01.2026) :: World Rugby has confirmed the sport’s pinnacle annual men’s U20 competition will be rebranded from 2026 as the World Rugby Junior World Championship, an expanded 16-team tournament that builds on the proud legacy of U20 international rugby.
The competition, previously known as the World Rugby U20 Championship, will take place in Georgia from 27 June to 18 July, with five rounds of action across Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
Georgia will host the prestigious tournament for the second time, following a memorable edition in 2017 when New Zealand defeated England 64-17 in the final, a match that featured future All Blacks stars Will Jordan and Caleb Clarke.
For the first time since 2009, the tournament returns to a 16-team format, welcoming Fiji, USA, Japan and Uruguay as the highest ranked sides since the last time the U20 Trophy was played in 2024 alongside the teams that contested the 2025 edition in Italy.
Pool A: South Africa, Wales, Georgia, Uruguay
Pool B: New Zealand, Italy, Scotland, Japan
Pool C: Argentina, England, Ireland, USA
Pool D: France, Australia, Spain, Fiji
The four pool winners will progress to the semi-finals, while second-placed teams will compete for fifth to eighth place. Third and fourth-placed teams will contest rankings from ninth to 12th and 13th to 16th respectively, with seeding based on pool-stage competition points.
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