MORE: 2016 Super Rugby fixture list
The new teams from Japan and Argentina will face Lions and Cheetahs respectively in the opening round of the revamped Super Rugby competition.
A team from Japan and Argentina will enter the competition for the first time next season, with the league's governing body SANZAR yet to announce the sides who will compete.
The first Super Rugby fixture to take place in Japan will be on February 27 with Lions making the visit to Tokyo, while the Argentinian side travels to Bloemfontein to face Cheetahs a day earlier.
South Africa side Kings also return to the competition, taking the total number of teams from 15 to 18, and they start against Sharks at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Defending champions Highlanders of New Zealand visit Blues in round one.
The new expansion sees a total of four conferences. The Australasia group is split into an Australia and New Zealand conference, each with five teams.
There will be two South Africa conferences, the first of which comprises Bulls, Cheetahs, Stormers and the Japanese team, while the second contains Kings, Lions, Sharks and the team from Argentina.
After 15 regular-season matches, there will be an eight-team knockout Super Rugby Finals Series.
The top four teams from each conference automatically qualify, along with the three next highest ranked Australasia teams and the next best placed South African group team.
SANZAR interim chief executive Brendan Morris told Super Rugby's official website: "As we stand eagerly on the cusp of a new era of Super Rugby, fans can look forward to the upcoming season with a great deal of optimism and enthusiasm.
"We are in the envious position to be delivering our great brand of rugby to new cities and international markets, unlocking a host of commercial opportunities and delivering the unbridled excitement of Super Rugby to a legion of new and existing fans.
"As successful as our competition has been in the past, we cannot rest on our laurels. We want to grow our fan base and ensure existing fans stay loving our game."