What to Wear to Wales Rugby at the Principality This November

Wales have three home games in November, on consecutive Saturdays at the Principality: Japan on the 7th, New Zealand on the 14th and Australia on the 21st. They make up the November round of the new Nations Championship, and each has its own kick-off: 4.40pm for Japan, 2.10pm for New Zealand, 8.10pm for Australia. A 2.10 start and an 8.10 start are not the same day out, and they don't want the same clothes.

The basics of a Principality day, from the road closures to why your shoes matter more than anything else you put on, are already in Principality Stadium Days: What to Wear in Cardiff. This one is about rugby in November, which mostly comes down to how much red you want to wear and how cold you'll be on the way home.

How to wear Welsh red without the replica shirt

On a Wales day the city goes red from about lunchtime, and you'll want to be part of it. The replica shirt is the easy way in. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's cut for running about in, and by the evening it tends to look like it. One red piece does the same job and leaves the rest of the outfit to you. A red jumper is the simplest version, and you can wear it again in December without anyone assuming you've come from a match.

Rugby shirts, worn to the rugby

The rugby shirt has turned into a high-street basic: heavy cotton, a white collar, a wide stripe. Wearing one to an actual rugby match is either very literal or quite funny, depending on how you carry it, and I'd go for funny. A red stripe reads as Wales without a single badge on it. Wear it loose over a long skirt with boots, or tuck it into straight trousers and put a tailored coat over the top, which is the version I'd pick.

What to wear for each kick-off

Wales v Japan: Saturday 7 November, 4.40pm

The awkward one. You set off in daylight and come out of the ground in the dark, so the outfit has to work for both. A red knit with straight-leg trousers or dark jeans, ankle boots, and a tailored coat over the top. The coat is what gets you from the stand to dinner afterwards, if that's where the night goes.

Wales v New Zealand: Saturday 14 November, 2.10pm

The earliest kick-off leaves the longest evening, and plenty of people make a full day of it either side of the match. That's more hours outside than in, so this is the day for the puffer. Rugby shirt under it, scarf over it, and boots you have already worn in.

Wales v Australia: Saturday 21 November, 8.10pm

A night match turns most of the day into the bit before it. This is the one where a dress makes complete sense: a midi jumper dress, ankle boots, a longline coat and a red scarf. It works at a table at six and in a stand at eight. Tights are not optional.

Coats for a closed roof

Wales have played their home Tests with the roof shut since early 2025, when the protocol changed so they no longer needed the visiting side to agree, and Rugby World reported in February that every Wales home fixture this year would be played with it closed. Check on the day, but plan for a roof. That changes the coat question. The bowl is a lot warmer than the walk down Westgate Street, so the coat comes off when you sit down and spends eighty minutes on your knees. Pick one you don't mind folding, and put something under it you're happy to be seen in.

Ankle boots for the walk in and out

The other guide makes the case for trainers, and in August that's right. In November, with wet pavements and a walk home in the dark, a boot with a grippy sole earns its place. Chelsea or lace-up, flat or a low block, as long as you've already done a few miles in them.

Jumper dresses for the night match

If the 21st is your match, a midi jumper dress does most of the work by itself. Go for a darker colour with enough weight that it doesn't cling, and let the scarf bring the red.

Bag size and what happens at the gate

The Principality publishes an actual number: a small bag means no larger than 35cm x 40cm x 19cm, or a standard handbag. There is no bag storage at the stadium, so anything bigger has nowhere to go. In the search lanes you'll be asked to have your coat open, which is one more reason to wear a coat that undoes quickly. The stadium assesses every event separately, so read your ticket information before you set off in case anything changes for your match.

Red scarves and warm hats

If you don't want red on your body, put it round your neck. A red scarf over a navy or camel coat is about as Welsh as you can look in a coat you'll still wear on a Tuesday. A hat is worth having in your pocket for the walk home.

The first of the three is Japan on 7 November. Prices and stock move quickly once the weather turns, so if something here works for you, don't leave it in a basket until the morning of the match.