The 2025 edition of the oldest and most famous competition in Rugby history, the Six Nations, started on January 31st and it’ll last until March 15th 2025. Ireland, France, Italy, Scotland, England and Wales will face each other in order to win the title of its 131st edition. Ireland and France are the favourites, with the Irish team ready to defend the title it won in 2024 while France’s talent Antoine Dupont may surely make France the strongest contender.
The teams of the 2025 Six Nations
While Ireland and France are the most likely winners, analysts and data insights suggest this edition could witness a competitive race. Here’s an overview of all the team’s features and chances for the 2025 Six Nations.
Ireland: after having dominated the last two editions, Ireland could become the first men’s team ever to win three competitions in a row.
France: with its rising star Antoine Dupont, who missed last year’s edition because of the Olympics, France could edge over Ireland in the title race, according to several analysts.
Italy: in 2024, Italy recorded its best-ever results in this competition. Although not yet a contender for the title, Italy could maintain its recent improvements and get unexpected results.
England: Borthwick’s team is not able to reach the top since its win in 2020 and came from narrow defeats against Australia and New Zealand. This could be the chance to get closer to their potential.
Scotland: this team is showing a growing competitiveness but in order to be a potential winner of the championship it has to keep the performances very high.
Wales: it’s a tough time for the team, facing an ageing squad and several injuries. In spite of this, Wales has the players to do a good tournament, even as outsiders.
Bookmakers and the Six Nations Winner
The Six Nations Championship is one of the most anticipated events in the rugby calendar, with top teams like England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales competing for the prestigious title. Each edition delivers excitement and surprises, and for this very reason to better understand the tournament’s progress, it can be useful to check the odds on the Six Nations (in the guide just linked you can check all the odds on the tournament proposed by the most important operators on the market): these reflect determining factors such as the form of the teams, possible injuries and the results of the matches. Betting platforms are constantly updating their predictions, offering interesting insights into which formations are considered favorites and how the dynamics of the tournament may change day by day.
With no surprise, Ireland is the most favourite team to win the title, with France ready to be its strongest opponent. The confidence in the Irish team is well-founded: Ireland has dominated the two last editions of the tournament, winning in 2023 and 2024, showing a deep consistency, physical preparation and a well-rounded squad. One of the possible drawbacks could be Andy Farrell’s leave and Simon Easterby’s coming as interim head coach.
After a successful autumn series, France is Ireland’s strongest contender for the final win of the 2025 Six Nations. French players are the only ones who can stop Ireland from winning the third championship in a row, especially because of their fluid movement, short passes and the coming back of Antoine Dupont, considered one of the best players in the world.
Although Italy and Wales are considered as outsiders, England facing consistency issues and Scotland to prove its growing competitiveness, this tournament shouldn’t be a two-team race. Sure enough, it will be a competitive race, with teams willing to reduce the gap of the last edition, with Ireland winning with a 20 points score, followed by France with 15 points, England with 14, Scotland with 12, Italy with 11 and Wales with just 4. All of this suggests that the 2025 Six Nations might be even closer than the last.
