Investec Champions Cup 2026/27 confirmed: Every team who has qualified, fixture dates and how to watch
Bordeaux-Begles celebrate with Investec Champions Cup trophy.
Full details for the 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup have now been confirmed, following a dramatic end to the 2025/26 domestic season across Europe.
The eight URC sides were already confirmed last month, but now the 16 teams from both PREM Rugby and the Top 14 have also been cemented in after the end of their regular season campaigns.
Bordeaux-Bègles, who dramatically missed out on the Top 14 barrages following a final-day defeat, will be looking to make it three successive Investec Champions Cup titles in 2026 following their success in Bilbao last month.
Investec Champions Cup 2026/27 teams, dates and how to watch confirmed
This year’s competition will again see the 24 highest-ranked teams square off across both Europe and South Africa, with plenty of mouth-watering games being lined up. URC sides Glasgow Warriors, Leinster, Stormers, Bulls, Munster, Cardiff and Connacht all return to the competition, while the Lions will also compete in the premier competition for the very first time after securing a seventh-placed finish this season.
Northampton Saints, Bath, Leicester Tigers, Saracens, Bristol Bears, Sale Sharks and Gloucester also come back into the top-tier competition from the PREM, while Exeter Chiefs return after a year in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
From the Top 14, reigning champions Bordeaux are joined by Toulouse, recent EPCR Challenge Cup champions Montpellier, Stade Français, Pau, Racing 92 and Clermont Auvergne. There is no room for this year’s semi-finalists, Toulon, after they finished ninth in the table.
The competing teams will discover their respective pool opponents on Wednesday, 1 July when the draw takes place. Pool games will then get underway on the weekend of the 16/17/18 October, in a return to the traditional pre-November Tests window, with round two then taking place across 11/12/13 December.
Round three has been pencilled in for 8/9/10 January, with the pool stages coming to a close on 15/16/17 January.
From there, the round of 16 will take place on the weekend of 2/3/4 April, with the quarter-finals a week later on 9/10/11 April.
The semi-finals will get underway on 30 April/1/2 May, before the campaign concludes at the OL Stadium, Lyon on Saturday 22 May.
No exact dates or kick-off times have been confirmed at the time of writing.
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Commenting on the wider European schedule, EPCR CEO, Jacques Raynaud, said: “We are pleased to confirm next season’s key dates for the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. The 2026/27 season, starting once again in October as our competitions did pre-Covid, will build to a wonderful finale in Lyon’s superb OL Stadium, where we will return after a successful Finals weekend in 2016. We are delighted to be returning to this venue, which has already staged EPCR Finals, Rugby World Cup and Six Nations matches.
“The Road to Lyon will get underway on Wednesday 1 July, when we will broadcast the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Pool Draws live from Premier Sports’ studio, and we thank our UK and Ireland broadcast partner for their support in delivering this key element in mapping out the Pool Stages.
“We are also excited to see the opening round of those Pool Stages return to the pre-Covid October slot, a recommendation put forward by EPCR and unanimously agreed by the three Leagues, with EPCR competitions part of the club rugby dynamic from the start of the season in a move that is welcomed by fans and commercial partners alike.”
As per last season, there are a number of broadcasters selected to air live fixtures, in the form of Premier Sports (UK and Ireland), S4C (Wales), beIN Sports and France.TV (France), EPCR TV (Italy, rest of Europe, Australia and New Zealand), Movistar (Spain), Sport.TV (Portugal), SuperSport (South Africa) and FLORUGBY (USA).
Investec Champions Cup 2026/27 teams in full
N.B: Full seedings will be confirmed following the conclusion of the league play-offs later this month
URC (eight): Glasgow Warriors, Leinster, Stormers, Bulls, Munster, Cardiff, Lions, Connacht
PREM Rugby (eight): Northampton Saints, Bath, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers, Saracens, Bristol Bears, Sale Sharks, Gloucester
Top 14 (eight): Toulouse, Montpellier, Stade Français, Pau, Racing 92, La Rochelle, Clermont Auvergne, Bordeaux-Bègles
Investec Champions Cup 2026/27 key dates and how to watch
Pool Draws: Wednesday 1 July
Round 1: 16/17/18 October 2026
Round 2: 11/12/13 December 2026
Round 3: 8/9/10 January 2027
Round 4: 15/16/17 January 2027
Round of 16: 2/3/4 April 2027
Quarter-finals: 9/10/11 April 2027
Semi-finals: 30 April / 1/2 May 2027
Final: Saturday 22 May 2027, OL Stadium, Lyon
How to watch: Premier Sports (UK and Ireland), S4C (Wales), beIN Sports and France.TV (France), EPCR TV (Italy, rest of Europe, Australia and New Zealand), Movistar (Spain), Sport.TV (Portugal), SuperSport (South Africa) and FLORUGBY (USA).