World Rugby will remove the home weighting from its world rankings on July 1, 2026, changing how points are earned in both the men’s and women’s tables. Siya Kolisi and other captains will be operating under a system that no longer gives the home team an automatic calculation boost.
The move is the first major change to the rating-point formula since the men’s rankings were introduced in October 2003. World Rugby said the update reflects an evolving competition landscape, with more neutral Tests and more matches staged away from the host union’s country.
Siya Kolisi and the new rule
Under the old system, the home team carried an extra three rating points for calculation purposes. That effectively cancelled out the advantage of playing at home, and World Rugby said winning at home often had a smaller impact on the rankings than winning away.
Kolisi is part of a group of leading players whose results will now be measured without that built-in home factor. For host unions, the change matters most in tournaments and fixtures where the match is played in centralised or out-of-country settings rather than in a traditional home venue.
Neutral matches across 2026
World Rugby said the weighting had also applied to host unions for major competitions including Rugby World Cups, Pacific Nations Cup, WXV Global Series and regional competitions. It added that many tournaments are now staged in centralised or out of country locations for strategic, commercial or financial reasons.
That shift has already altered the calendar. Fiji will play all three of their home Nations Championship matches in the United Kingdom this year, Japan will face Ireland in Australia in July, Tonga will host matches in USA and Canada in the Nations Cup fixtures, and the WXV Global Series Challenger will be played in a central location in Hong Kong.
Springboks in Baltimore
World Rugby said some 20 matches across international competitions are scheduled to take place in neutral locations before the end of 2026. The clash between the Springboks and All Blacks in Baltimore, USA will be the final Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series Test.
For rankings readers, the practical change is simple: from July 1, 2026, home status will no longer buy a three-point cushion. The open question is how sharply that will shift the tables once the rule reaches the fixtures already set for neutral ground.
