Super Rugby will mark its 30th anniversary next year with the first of 77 matches kicking off on February 13, officials said on Thursday, while tweaks were made to its finals format.
The Crusaders open the season against the Highlanders in Dunedin after securing their 13th title with a 16-12 victory over the Chiefs this year.
"Thirty years on from the first Super Rugby season, the competition continues to deliver what makes it special – world-class players, high-octane rugby and a connection to communities right across the Pacific," said Super Rugby chief Jack Mesley.
The Power continues 😤
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) August 28, 2025
30 years. 30 Seasons. Our 2026 fixtures have just dropped 👏
Head over to our website for full fixture list 👉 https://t.co/m2IdNGkFgZ#SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/MWDeGjBOTv
Each of the 11 teams in New Zealand and Australia's top club competition will play 14 matches across a 16-round regular season.
That is followed by a six-team finals series, which comes with a tweak to the "lucky loser" format.
Instead of being penalised one seeding, as they were last year, the highest-ranked losing team from the qualifying finals will now progress as fourth seed.
That will ensure they play away from home in the semifinals and final, should they qualify – this year the top-ranked Chiefs were beaten in a qualifying final but still got to host a semi.
The competition has also brought back its "Super Round", where all teams descend on the same city for a bumper weekend of five matches.
It will be held from April 24-26 in Christchurch to mark the opening of the One New Zealand Stadium, a replacement for Lancaster Park which was damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and demolished in 2019.
