Middle East to host the world's best?
NEWS: A surprise bidder has emerged for the Nations Championship finals.
According to the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom, Qatar has proposed an eight-year deal worth £800 million to Six Nations and SANZAAR unions to stage the play-off matches from November 2026.
The proposal says the finals will be staged over a three-day festival and they are billing it as the “Super Bowl” of rugby.
The Nations Championship will run every two years, which means Qatar will host the finals between 2026 and 2032 if they are successful with their bid.
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The schedule has six play-off fixtures between the two hemispheres, comprised of Six Nations teams, Rugby Championship teams, and two other invitational sides.
According to the proposals, the top-ranked European team will face the leading Southern Hemisphere team after the group matches in a Grand Final.
The other five play-off matches will see the second-ranked Six Nations team play the second team in the Southern Hemisphere table, with third playing third with the pattern continuing down to sixth v sixth.
Qatar recently hosted the 2022 football World Cup, meaning infrastructure will be in place.
According to the report, the six play-off matches will be staged at multiple venues in Doha including the Lusail Stadium, which hosted the football World Cup Final.
Source: Daily Mail
