Guinness Six Nations Rugby – Italy matches in Rome

Great international rugby in the heart of Rome

The Guinness Six Nations is the oldest and most prestigious rugby tournament in the Northern Hemisphere. Since 2000, Italy has participated as a full member alongside France, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Every year, its home matches are played at the Stadio Olimpico in the Foro Italico, in the municipality of Rome, Lazio. Between February and March, the capital hosts two or three match days, attracting a massive audience with one of the highest international fan components of any Italian sporting event.

An event that fills the city

The Six Nations weekend is not limited to the match itself. Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and English fans arrive in Rome days in advance, filling the historic squares from Campo de' Fiori to Piazza Navona, and transforming the neighborhoods around the Foro Italico into one long party. It is one of the rare occasions where sporting rivalry coexists with a completely peaceful atmosphere: the tradition of the terzo tempo—sharing a beer between opposing fans after the game—is an integral part of this sport's culture.

The Third Half Village at the Foro Italico

Around the stadium, the Peroni Nastro Azzurro Third Half Village is set up, a free area open to everyone featuring food stalls, live music, DJ sets, giant screens to follow other matches of the round, and activities dedicated to families and youth clubs. In the 2026 edition, the village welcomed over 120,000 visitors, a figure that alone illustrates how the event has become a city-wide appointment rather than just a sporting interlude.

Record-breaking numbers

• Two home matches in 2026 with 137,230 tickets sold in total;
• 68,245 spectators against Scotland and a 68,985 sell-out against England, approximately 99% capacity;
• Over 7 million euros in ticket revenue, up 51% compared to 2024;
• Nearly 130 million viewers across the tournament's six main television markets.

Why it's worth being there

Attending a Six Nations match at the Olimpico means experiencing a collective ritual: anthems sung at the top of one's lungs before kick-off, absolute silence during penalty kicks, and the sea of blue scarves rising with every try. Visitors from abroad will also find a city in its winter version, much more livable than in the summer months, with municipal museums and archaeological sites offering free entry to ticket holders on match days: from the Capitoline Museums to the Ara Pacis Museum and the Villa Torlonia Museums, over twenty institutions participate in the initiative promoted by Roma Capitale.

Growth built over time

It took Italian rugby over twenty years to become competitive at the highest levels, but recent progress has changed the perception of the movement. In 2026, the national team led by Gonzalo Quesada beat both Scotland and England at home—the latter for the first time in history—finishing the home season undefeated at the Olimpico. The result had an immediate effect on ticket demand and media attention, consolidating Rome as one of the most coveted stops of the entire tournament for fans from the British Isles.