Starting on January 30, the competition will act as the curtain raiser for international rugby next year, closely followed by the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, with players also looking to stake their claim for British & Irish Lions selection, with a tour to Australia in the summer.
Then it is the return of the record-breaking Guinness Women’s Six Nations, leading into the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, in what could turn out to be a watershed moment for the women’s game.
The first fixture in the U20 Six Nations Championship will see Ireland host reigning champions England, fresh from winning the World Rugby U20 Championship.
Italy play Scotland in the second game of round one, before France host Wales to close out the first set of fixtures.
The five rounds of U20 Six Nations fixtures mirror the elite men’s competition, although the U20 Championship culminates with a series of fixtures under the Friday night lights on March 14, before Super Saturday assumes the stage the following day, for the conclusion of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
An extensive list of international broadcasters and comprehensive coverage on Six Nations Rugby's social and digital channels will ensure that international fans have every opportunity to follow next year's Championship.
Fans will be able to watch every minute of the 2025 Under-20 Six Nations fixtures live, thanks to worldwide broadcast coverage.
In the Six Nations’ host markets, BBC and S4C (Welsh language) will cover the Championship for UK fans; RTE and Virgin Media will cover the games in Ireland.
In France, L'Équipe will broadcast the full Championship and Sky Italia will show all the matches in Italy.
The U20 Six Nations offers young players and their teams a valuable platform to gain competitive experience and exposure to elite rugby as they chart their journey along the rugby development pathway.
To date, over 400 players from across all six nations Unions, and Federations have graduated from the U20 Championship, going on to earn senior caps in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
Offering an important progression pathway, the U18 Six Nations Festivals have led to 295 players making the jump from the U18 level to the U20 Six Nations since 2018.
Commenting on the return of the U20 Six Nations Championship next January, Julie Paterson, Chief of Rugby at Six Nations Rugby, said: “Each year the U20 Championship, together with the U18 Festivals, highlight the exciting young players representing each of the Six Nations teams.
“In terms of the U20 Six Nations; to have over 400 players go on to achieve senior caps for their respective countries shows how important the Championship is as a development platform for the next generation of players, as well as the Unions and Federations.
"The fixtures next year offer an opportunity for new and returning players to shine and it seems fitting that the next generation of talent will be the opening act for what looks set to be a huge year for the sport.”
