Flat Iron Square Six Nations
Photo: Flat Iron Square
Photo: Flat Iron Square

The best places to watch the Six Nations 2026

Scrum down for the return of the rugby at these top-quality screenings

Rosie Hewitson
Contributor: Rhian Daly
Advertising

The Six Nations rugby tournament is back for 2026, taking over boozers, beer gardens and outdoor screens across London most weekends from the start of February right up until the final on Saturday March 14. 

Last year, France achieved a surprise win, while poor Wales landed the wooden spoon for failing to score any points. Games take place at venues including Paris’ Stade de France, Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, and London’s very own Allianz Twickenham Stadium as England, France, Italy, Scotland, Wales and Ireland compete to take home the championship trophy. 

You could just watch on your telly at home, but if you’d prefer to catch every scrimmage, try and conversion in a lively atmosphere with a nice freshly-poured Guinness in hand, head to one of the rugby pubs, bars, beer halls, markets and social clubs listed here, where you’ll find free-flowing pints, special guest appearances and countless renditions of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’.

RECOMMENDED: More great things to do in London this weekend 

First Round Fixtures

Here are the first matches for 2026:

Thursday 5 Feb

8:10pm kickoff – France vs Ireland

Saturday 7 Feb

2:10pm kickoff – Italy vs Scotland

4.40pm kickoff – England vs Wales

 

Where to watch the Six Nations 2026

At 26,000 square feet, Walthamstow’s Big Penny Social is apparently the biggest beer hall in the UK, which makes it an excellent pick if you’re after a lively atmosphere – and ups your chances of getting a seat. It’ll be showing Six Nations matches on a huge HD screen, while there are 20 taps of beer and a menu of small plates, pizzas and burgers to keep your belly filled. 

Big Penny Social. Free, £10pp holding deposit per person for parties of more than 11. Booking recommended.

  • Pubs
  • Finsbury Park
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended

Get to Finsbury Park’s beloved rugby pub The Faltering Fullback at least two hours early if you want to secure a table – if not, it’s standing room only, and things get real cosy. If you lose your mates in the nook-filled three-storey beer garden, just make new ones. Much easier.

Faltering Fullback. Free entry, arrive as early as possible.

Advertising
  • Attractions
  • Community centres
  • Bloomsbury

Do you hail from the other side of the Severn Bridge? If Wales are playing, the beautiful London Welsh Centre in Bloomsbury is a great place to watch with fellow expats. Take in all the action on a 170-square-foot screen while snacking on tasty treats from Wales and sinking a few pints of Welsh beer. Just be sure to book in advance, as it often sells out. Iechyd da! 

London Welsh Centre. £10 (or free with £40 annual membership). Find out more here

  • Things to do
  • Southwark
  • Recommended

London Bridge drinking and dining destination Flat Iron Square has had a big makeover just in time for the Six Nations, and is partnering with local craft beer maven Camden Town Brewery and rugby podcast Rugby Pod for the tournament this year. Book a seat for yourself or grab a table for eight – all bookings come with tokens for a pint of Camden, while tables get eight £10 food tokens too. There’ll also be live podcast events on January 29, February 19 and March 12, featuring some surprise special guests.

Flat Iron Square. General admission (with guaranteed seat and one Camden Town token) £11.25, register in advance. Find out more here

Advertising
  • Breweries
  • Walthamstow
The one for cheap drinks
The one for cheap drinks

Walthamstow’s Pillars Brewery might look like the kind of place where you’d be paying north of £7.50 per pint, but an afternoon of rugger here is surprisingly wallet-friendly. Pints here during Six Nations matches are just over a fiver. And if ‘the lads’ are losing, you could always just pop into God’s Own Junkyard next door. If that cavern of neon lights can’t lift your mood, nothing will.

Pillars Brewery. Free entry, or reserve a seat for a £6 deposit (or pre-order pints). 

  • Things to do
  • Literary events
  • Camden Town
  • Recommended

Cheer on reigning champions Ireland with fellow fans from the Emerald Isle at the London Irish Centre. The centre will be showing the team's first match in this year's tournament, in which they'll face England. There'll also be post-match entertainment in the form of live music from Cailíní Lua and Lorraine O'Reilly, plus food from Happy Plates. 

London Irish Centre. £17.50 standing ticket. Find more info here

Advertising
  • Breweries
  • Earlsfield

If you prefer cider over beer and you’re a big fan of scrums and tries, get down to Against The Grain Taproom and Cidery this Six Nations. The brewery will be hosting screenings of all the matches in this year’s tournament while serving up their range of delicious craft ciders (plus beer, wine and cocktails) and woodfired pizza. Book a table starting from £11.55 for two people and you’ll get one free welcome drink per person. Scrum-ptious!

Against The Grain Taproom and Cidery. Table bookings from £11.55, including one free drink per person. Find more info here

Vinegar Yard is always a safe bet for finding likeminded collar-erectors to watch the rugger with. Why not combine some pints, the big game and a stroll around its weekend flea market? The venue hasn't announced its plans for the 2025 Six Nations yet, but last year you could catch all the action on its outdoor courtyard screen and adjacent covered bar, with food from the likes of Nanny Bill’s, Baba G’s and Bad Boys Pizza Society
Vinegar Yard. Keep an eye out for details here
Advertising
  • Cocktail bars
  • Brick Lane

Being a sports fan can be tough going, but one thing can help you get through those nail-biting moments in matches – lovely alcohol. Juju’s Bar & Stage can’t help your chosen team do better this Six Nations, but they are serving up a bottomless drinks offer. You’ll get 70 minutes of unlimited drinks (including lager, stout, cider, wine, prosecco and soft drinks), beginning 30 minutes before kick-off and running until the end of the first half. Tickets also include a guaranteed seat and a main meal courtesy of BBQ specialists Cue Point (vegetarian and vegan options are also available). All the action will be shown on a huge projector screen and, after some matches, there’ll also be a post-game party. If you just want to go along, watch the match and soak up the atmosphere, you can do so for free.

Juju's Bar & Stage. £48.25 for 70 minutes of bottomless drinks, a main meal and a guaranteed seat. Find more info here.

  • Attractions
  • Wembley

For those tired of cramming themselves into poky pubs, try Boxpark Shoreditch, Croydon or Wembley. Each venue is set up with large HD screens and a solid choice of street-food vendors for the Six Nations. The crowds will be huge, but the indoor-outdoor set-up allows for some space to breathe, which means you’re much less likely to spend the game in the armpit of a stranger’s England jersey. 

Various Boxpark venues. General admission (with guaranteed seat and one drinks token) from £8.30, register in advance. Find out more here

Advertising
  • Mayfair

Enjoy the Six Nations in style at Mayfair’s The Audley Public House. Before the Ireland v England match on February 1, they’ll be hosting England’s top-scoring player Andy Goode and Bath flanker Sam Underhill for a special conversation. Tickets include a free pint of Guinness or a non-alcoholic drink. Those who just want to watch the match can join in the festivities for free from 3pm.

The Audley Public House. £10 per person for the panel talk, free entry from 3pm. Find more info here.

12. The quirky one

It’s the final weekend so you might as well go big. BLOODsports, Covent Garden’s new sports bar, is the place for that – it’s got over 30 massive screens and stays open until 2am, not to mention tons of activities to keep you occupied pre and post-match (or in the middle if things are going horribly for your team). There’s karaoke, arcade games, pool and a photobooth inspired by the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’. Make the most of the, erm, unique food and drinks menu, too, where you can choose from the likes of the Dead Hippie burger, Monkey Fingers, and a deep-fried, bacon-wrapped ‘Ripper’ hot dog, and wash it all down with Bloodless Mary martinis, slushies, frozen margs and more.

BLOODsports. Free entry, but booking advised. Find more info here.

Advertising
  • Pubs
  • Stratford

With the last few Six Nations face-offs upon us, you’re going to want to make the most of the last day of matches. To do that, you’ll need to find a venue that, as well as showing all the matches, has plenty to keep you entertained in between. Look no further than Bat & Ball, where you can take in every scrum, try and tackle on the state-of-the-art HD screens and then partake in a little beer pong, darts or pool until its time to get focused once more.

Bat & Ball. Free entry, but booking advised. Find more info here.

Not into rugby? Find the best football pubs in London

Recommended
    London for less
      Latest news
        Advertising