Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup pools confirmed ahead of 2026/27 season
The Champions Cup trophy.
The pools for the 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup campaigns have now been confirmed.
Reigning champions Bordeaux-Begles were joined by Top 14 victors Toulouse, URC winners Leinster and PREM title holders Northampton Saints in tier one of the Investec Champions Cup draw, with the remaining 20 teams listed as tier two.
The two competitions get underway in October, with further pool fixtures also pencilled in for December and January.
Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup pools confirmed
Leinster, Glasgow Warriors, Pau, Sale Sharks, Leicester Tigers and Clermont Auvergne form pool one in the Investec Champions Cup, while Toulouse, Lions, Saracens, La Rochelle, Exeter Chiefs and Connacht form pool two.
Pool three is made up of Bordeaux-Begles, Stormers, Racing 92, Munster, Bristol Bears and Gloucester, with pool four seeing Northampton Saints, Bath, Cardiff, Montpellier, Stade Francais and the Bulls feature.
In the EPCR Challenge Cup, Cheetahs, Ulster, Perpignan, Dragons, Bayonne and Zebre form pool one; Benetton, Lyon, Newcastle Red Bulls, Sharks, Castres and Scarlets form pool two and Ospreys, Edinburgh, Black Lion, Harlequins, Toulon, Vannes make up pool three.
Yesterday (Tuesday, 30 June), EPCR also confirmed two key rule changes ahead of the 2026/27 season, with one directly affecting the pool stage. From next year, the top three teams from each Investec Champions Cup pool will automatically progress into the knock-out rounds, with the remaining places going to the four clubs with the highest number of match points across the competition, regardless of what pool they are in.
EPCR confirm rule changes for 2026/27 season as club tiers revealed ahead of pool stage draw
In the EPCR Challenge Cup, the top three teams from each pool will also progress, but only the three clubs with the highest number of match points will also book their spots in the round-of-16. They will also be joined by the four clubs who drop down from the Investec Champions Cup.
Should two teams finish level on match points in the pool stages, the deciding factor will now be the number of wins they have accrued rather than points difference.
Elsewhere, EPCR have also announced a change to the bonus points system, with teams only getting the try-scoring bonus if they score three or more tries more than the opposition.
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Fixtures for this year’s competitions will be announced at a later date.
EPCR pools in full
Investec Champions Cup
Pool 1: Leinster, Glasgow Warriors, Pau, Sale Sharks, Leicester Tigers, Clermont Auvergne
Pool 2: Toulouse, Lions, Saracens, La Rochelle, Exeter Chiefs, Connacht
Pool 3: Bordeaux-Begles, Stormers, Racing 92, Munster, Bristol Bears, Gloucester
Pool 4: Northampton Saints, Bath, Cardiff, Montpellier, Stade Francais, Bulls
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EPCR Challenge Cup
Pool 1: Cheetahs, Ulster, Perpignan, Dragons, Bayonne, Zebre
Pool 2: Benetton, Lyon, Newcastle Red Bulls, Sharks, Castres, Scarlets
Pool 3: Ospreys, Edinburgh, Black Lion, Harlequins, Toulon, Vannes
EPCR competitions 2026/27 key dates and how to watch
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).