The countdown to the start of the 2025/26 Investec Champions   Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup officially began today as the Pool Draws for the   competitions took place at the Premier Sports studios in Dublin. 

 

Hosted by presenters Elma Smit and Vincent Pochulu (beIN   SPORTS), the event featured Premier Sports pundit and former Ireland   international Ian Madigan as the official ball drawer, with Barrister Dorothy   Collins serving as independent scrutineer. 

 

Fans around the globe tuned in via a live stream on EPCRugby.com, with additional broadcasts on   the Premier Sports Rugby Channel (UK and Ireland), beIN SPORTS (France),   SuperSport (South Africa), FloRugby (USA), OnRugby.it (Italy) and Rugbyrama   (France). 

 

The 2025/26 season will once again adopt the popular pool   format, setting the stage for a series of thrilling showdowns between some of   the world’s top-tier clubs. With the competitions kicking off on Friday 5   December, excitement is already building among rugby supporters worldwide. 

 

In the Investec Champions Cup draw, Tier 1 clubs – including   defending champions Union Bordeaux Bègles, TOP 14 title-winners Stade   Toulousain, Gallagher Premiership champions Bath Rugby, and United Rugby   Championship winners Leinster Rugby – were each drawn first into separate   pools, ensuring high-stakes matchups from the outset. 

 

Six-time Investec Champions Cup winners Stade Toulousain were   first out of the drum and will be joined in Pool 1 by ASM Clermont   Auvergne, Hollywoodbets Sharks, Saracens, Glasgow Warriors and Sale Sharks. 

 

Bath Rugby kicked off Pool 2, and were joined by RC   Toulon, Munster Rugby, Castres Olympique, Edinburgh Rugby and Gloucester   Rugby. 

 

Four-times Champions Cup winners Leinster Rugby head Pool 3   alongside two-times winners Leicester Tigers and Stade Rochelais. Harlequins,   Aviron Bayonnais and DHL Stormers conclude Pool 3.  

 

 

The Investec Champions Cup has two clubs from each of three   leagues – TOP 14, Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship (URC) –   in each pool, and clubs from the URC’s Irish, Scottish and South African   shields were kept apart during the draw. 

 

Following the draw of the Tier 1 clubs, the remaining 20 clubs   were either drawn or allocated into the four pools in keeping with the draw’s   key principles. During the pool stage, each club will play four matches   against four different clubs which are not from the same league either   home or away.

In the   EPCR Challenge Cup, Ospreys were first out of the drum going into Pool 1,   alongside US Montauban who will return to the competition for the first time   in 15 years.  Zebre Parma, two-times Challenge Cup winners Montpellier   Hérault Rugby, Black Lion and Connacht Rugby were also drawn in Pool 1. 

 

 

Invited   club Toyota Cheetahs were the first drawn in Pool 3 with two-time   Challenge Cup winners Cardiff Rugby up next. Exeter Chiefs, Racing 92 –   semi-finalists last season – Stade Français Paris and Ulster Rugby are also   drawn into Pool 3.  

 

Clubs   will play four matches against four different opponents during the pool stage   with same league matches kept to a minimum, and only impacting clubs   from the URC. 

 

For the   full list of Pool Draw principles for both the Investec Champions Cup and   EPCR Challenge Cup, click here.

With the   Pools now set, fixture schedules for both tournaments including dates,   venues, kick-off times and TV coverage will be announced later this month.   Fixtures are determined following the input of individual club calendar and   venue considerations, broadcast requirements and league calendar restrictions   into an algorithm with the outcomes of today’s Pool Draws, all of which are   considered to deliver the optimum fixture schedules. 

 

The   2025/26 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup seasons will again be   played over eight weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage   starting in December, followed by a knockout stage consisting of a Round of   16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, culminating in the EPCR Finals Weekend in   the vibrant Basque city of Bilbao on 22 and 23 May. 

 

 

Round 1 – 5/6/7 December 2025 

Round 2 – 12/13/14 December 2025 

Round 3 – 9/10/11 January 2026 

Round 4 – 16/17/18 January 2026

   

Round of 16 – 3/4/5 April 2026 

Quarter-finals – 10/11/12 April   2026 

Semi-finals – 1/2/3 May 2026 

EPCR Challenge Cup Final – San   Mamés Stadium, Bilbao; Friday 22 May 

Investec Champions Cup Final –   San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao; Saturday 23 May

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) is the organiser of the   Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. EPCR’s mission is to create   outstanding rugby experiences for all key stakeholders, including leagues,   clubs, players, match officials, unions, fans, broadcast and commercial   partners, communities and the media.

The Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup   feature clubs from the Gallagher Premiership, TOP 14 and United Rugby   Championship. 42 clubs from three leagues and eight unions compete each   season to win club rugby's most elite titles. Broadcast to over 100   territories around the world, last season EPCR's tournaments welcomed 1.5   million fans into stadia and achieved a broadcast audience of over 70 million   viewers.

The EPCR Finals Weekend is a destination rugby weekend held in a   different city every year. On 22 and 23 May 2026, the vibrant Basque city of   Bilbao will welcome the EPCR Challenge Cup Final and Investec Champions Cup   Final to the stunning San Mamés Stadium. 

Established in 2014 with headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland,   EPCR has the following members: Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR),   Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR), Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), Ligue   Nationale de Rugby (LNR), Premier Rugby Ltd (PRL), PRO Rugby Championship DAC   (URC), Rugby Football Union (RFU), Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) and Welsh Rugby   Union (WRU).

The Board of EPCR has the following members: Dominic McKay   (Chairman), Jacques Raynaud (EPCR CEO), Martin Anayi (URC), Emmanuel   Eschalier (LNR), Simon Massie-Taylor (PRL), Mark McCafferty (independent   director), Arnaud Nourry (independent director), Jérémie Lecha (FFR) and   Kevin Potts (IRFU).

EPCR’s revenues are distributed on the basis of an equal   three-way division to Premiership Rugby clubs, URC clubs and LNR clubs.

EPCR’s tournaments are run according to World   Rugby’s Laws of the Game, and to World   Rugby Regulations.

LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/company/epcrugby