World Rugby and Asahi Breweries Limited have announced that Asahi Super Dry will continue as the Title Partner and Official Beer of the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2026, which runs from 12-19 September in Japan.

The Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2026 is the 17th edition of the tournament and will feature a revised format with Canada, defending champions Fiji and USA joining hosts Japan over two match days in Osaka and Tokyo. This evolution reflects the broader transformation of the international calendar with competitions aligned with the inaugural Nations Championship and World Rugby Nations Cup, providing cross-over opportunities for participating unions.

The four teams will meet in the form of semi-finals played at Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Osaka on 12 September with Fiji tackling Canada before Japan face USA. The action then moves to Tokyo for the third-place play-off and final at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium on 19 September, when Fiji will be hoping to claim a third successive title after beating Japan in the 2024 and 2025 finals.  

With the participating nations building towards Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2026 is an important step on that journey, providing competitive fixtures in a period before the quartet resume their World Rugby Nations Cup and Nations Championship campaigns in November.

Samoa and Tonga will compete within the inaugural edition of the World Rugby Nations Cup, played in July across the Americas, ensuring they are best placed to thrive on the road to Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 and beyond. While not featuring within this year’s Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup edition, both unions will continue to receive targeted high-performance support and funding from World Rugby.

Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2026 schedule
All times local (GMT+9)

Saturday, 12 September

Semi-finals, Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Osaka

  • 16:00 – Fiji v Canada
  • 19:05 – Japan v USA

Saturday, 19 September

Finals day, Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo

  • 16:00 – Third place play-off
  • 19:05 – Final

This will be the third year that Asahi Super Dry serves as Title Partner for the tournament and continues the Asahi Group’s firm support of rugby globally, having become the first Asian company to sign a top-tier global partnership agreement with World Rugby for Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.

Michel Poussau, World Rugby Chief Revenue Officer, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Asahi Breweries and welcome Asahi Super Dry as the Title Partner of the Pacific Nations Cup 2026 for this new edition. The tournament plays an important role in the global rugby calendar, helping to drive competitiveness and grow the game across the Pacific region and beyond.

“Asahi’s continued commitment to rugby reflects our shared ambition to deliver exceptional experiences for fans, support the development of the game and celebrate the unique spirit and culture of rugby. With the tournament taking place in Japan, a key rugby market and home to Asahi, this partnership is the perfect collaboration, and we look forward to working together to make the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2026 a memorable tournament.”

Takeshi Furusawa, Managing Corporate Officer, Head of Marketing, Asahi Breweries, Ltd, said: “We are honored to be able to continue serving as the title sponsor of the Pacific Nations Cup 2026. The final tournament held in Japan in 2024 generated tremendous excitement, and we look forward to even greater enthusiasm for the 2026 competition.

“We deeply share World Rugby’s core values, integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline, and respect, and have actively supported rugby as a Principal Partner of Rugby World Cup and as an official sponsor of the Japan national team.

“Through the stadiums of this tournament as well, we will enhance the spectator experience and contribute to the excitement of the event by offering rugby fans the distinctive taste, KARAKUCHI of Super Dry. Together with all the players and rugby fans around the world, we will continue to create ‘moments of excitement’ through Super Dry.”

Japan head coach Eddie Jones said: “The Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2026 is an important tournament for Japan. It allows us to develop our talent versus the best of the Pacific. Hosting the tournament is a great honour and will entertain our fans with Cho-Soku Rugby.”