Ireland to host EPCR draws in Dublin on 1st July

The stage is set: Dublin will host the pool draws for both the 2025–26 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup on Tuesday, 1 July, with proceedings slated to begin at 1:30 pm local time at Premier Sports studios.

The events will be co-presented by Elma Smit and Vincent Pochulu and live-streamed on epcrugby.com.

Ireland will be well represented in Europe's two top-tier professional rugby competitions next season.

Leinster, fresh from their United Rugby Championship (URC) triumph, and Munster, who reached the quarter-finals, have qualified for the prestigious Champions Cup.

Meanwhile, Connacht and Ulster will compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup following finishes outside the URC top eight.

Champions Cup draw format

The Champions Cup draw will feature 24 teams from the Top 14, Premiership, and URC. Beginning with Tier 1 — made up of the reigning Champions Cup winners Bordeaux, Gallagher Premiership champions Bath, URC winners Leinster, and the Top 14 winners (or runners-up if Bordeaux completes a treble) — the remaining 20 teams will then be allocated across four pools of six, adhering to competition rules and broadcasting considerations.

Challenge Cup structure

The Challenge Cup will host 18 clubs split into three pools of six. Each pool will contain two French Top 14 teams, and among its 18, will include URC sides Cardiff, Ospreys, Dragons, Connacht, Ulster, Benetton, and Zebre, as well as teams from the Premiership and two invited sides, Black Lion (Georgia) and Toyota Cheetahs (South Africa).

2025/26 weekends

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