Two evenings, two opponents from the Southern Hemisphere, one stadium: France welcome South Africa on Friday 13 November 2026, then Argentina on Saturday 21 November 2026, at the Stade de France. Many still call it the autumn tour; the official name of these fixtures is now the Nations Championship, a World Rugby competition whose first edition takes place in 2026.
Both matches are played in the evening (kick-off at 9:10 pm), and the crowd leaves the stadium late in the evening. For anyone coming from elsewhere in France or abroad, finding a place to sleep matters as much as finding a ticket. The 9th arrondissement has a very practical advantage here: from Place de Clichy, Line 13 runs to the Stade de France without a change.
A Friday, a Saturday: the two fixtures
- Friday 13 November 2026: France vs South Africa (round 5). Kick-off at 9:10 pm. It is a weeknight, so plan ahead for work and transport.
- Saturday 21 November 2026: France vs Argentina (round 6 and last round of the group stage). Kick-off at 9:10 pm.
Among the sporting events in Paris this autumn, these are two dates to note for rugby fans. Against the Pumas, the memories are good: in November 2024, in Saint-Denis, Les Bleus won 37-23. The format changes, the setting does not: as with France vs Australia in November 2025, everything happens at the Stade de France.
Tickets: stick to official channels
At the end of September, sales were open for France vs Argentina, on the official FFR ticket office as well as on the Stade de France website. For France vs South Africa, the stadium page only offered to sign up for an alert, with no opening date announced. Prices vary by seat category and the amounts shown differ from one channel to another: the safest approach is to compare directly on these two ticket offices at the time of purchase.
Getting to Saint-Denis from rue de Clichy
The most direct route starts at Place de Clichy station (Lines 2 and 13), a few minutes' walk from the hotel. Take Line 13 towards Saint-Denis-Université and get off at Saint-Denis-Porte de Paris, with no change: the stadium's north gates (J to S) are about a 5-minute walk away. The journey time has not been verified: the Île-de-France Mobilités journey planner gives the timing for the day, so allow extra margin on match nights.
Two alternatives depending on your gate: walk 7 minutes to Saint-Lazare station and take Line 14 to Stade de France Pleyel; or go via Gare du Nord for the RER B (La Plaine-Stade de France, for gates A to H) or the RER D (Stade de France-Saint-Denis, for gates T to Z).
The way back needs more care than the way there: when you leave, the stations are very busy. The Stade de France publishes the last train times on each event's page two days beforehand. Works are also announced on the network in November; at the end of September, no effect on service to the stadium on these two evenings had been confirmed: a quick look at ratp.fr and transilien.com before setting off avoids unpleasant surprises.
A night in the 9th after the final whistle
A match that ends late in the evening is rarely the right moment to catch a train home. At 41 rue de Clichy, a 7-minute walk from Saint-Lazare station, Hôtel R de Paris is a simple base for these two evenings: a single metro line on the way there and back, and a room waiting a few minutes from the station. The Bar Lounge, reserved for guests, opens at 6 pm for a drink before you set off, and check-out is before noon, so you can enjoy a morning without rushing.
The 13th falls on a weekday, the 21st opens a weekend: either way, booking your room at the same time as your tickets saves you from hunting for somewhere to stay at the last minute, before everything is taken. Our rooms can be booked directly on the website, at the best guaranteed rate. On Sunday 22, the luggage room lets you leave your things after checking out and keep the day free for Paris.
To fill the day before the match, or the one after, our selection what to do in Paris in November 2026 runs from Paris Photo to the Beaujolais: enough to turn these two rugby evenings into a proper Parisian stay.
