England will go to Ireland in the opening round of the 2025 Six Nations Championship, before home clashes against France and their nemesis Scotland in a tough first three games for Steve Borthwick’s side.

Officials confirmed the fixtures on Saturday, with France to host Wales in the opening game on Jan. 31 before Scotland welcome Italy a day later and Ireland – on course for back-to-back titles this year – take on England in Dublin.

England will host Italy in their fourth match on March 9 and finish their campaign six days later in Wales. It is the first time since 2013, when Wales claimed a 30-3 win over the English to lift the trophy, that the pair face each other in the final round.

Scotland will be seeking a fifth successive win over old foes England, something they have not achieved before, when they travel to Twickenham on Feb. 22, and finish their campaign in France on March 15.

The start and finish of the tournament have been set to take place a week earlier. The first two rounds are to be played on consecutive weekends, before a two-week break to the third set of fixtures.

There will be another 14 day break before the fourth and fifth rounds complete the season.

2025 Six Nations Championship fixtures:

Round 1

Jan. 31: France vs Wales (20:15)

Feb. 1: Scotland vs Italy (14:15)

Feb. 1: Ireland vs England (16:45)

Round 2

Feb. 8: Italy vs Wales (14:15)

Feb. 8: England vs France (16:45)

Feb. 9: Scotland vs Ireland (15:00)

Round 3

Feb. 22: Wales vs Ireland (14:15)

Feb. 22: England vs Scotland (16:45)

Feb. 23: Italy vs France (15:00)

Round 4

March 8: Ireland vs France (14:15)

March 8: Scotland vs Wales (16:45)

March 9: England vs Italy (15:00)

Round 5

March 16: Italy vs Ireland (14:15)

March 16: Wales vs England (16:45)

March 16: France vs Scotland (20:00) REUTERS