The four Welsh pro cubs will learn who they will meet in European competitions next season when the draw is conducted by tournament organisers EPCR in Dublin on Tuesday, 1 July.
The event will be staged at the Premier Sports studios in the Republic of Ireland capital with the Scarlets flying the flag for Wales on their return to the Investec Champions Cup. Cardiff Rugby, Ospreys and Dragons RFC will compete in the Challenge Cup
Both draws will be streamed live on epcrugby.com and the event, which will be co-presented by Elma Smit and Vincent Pochulu, will start at 13.30 (UK-Irish time) / 14.30 (European/South African time) / 16.30 (Georgian time).
INVESTEC CHAMPINS CUP POOL DRAW
The 24 Investec Champions Cup clubs which have qualified on merit from the TOP 14, Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship (URC) will once again compete in four pools of six – Pool 1, Pool 2, Pool 3 and Pool 4. (See qualifiers below)
The key principles of the Investec Champions Cup draw are as follows:
- Each pool of six will contain two clubs from each of the leagues.
- Clubs from the same URC Shield cannot be in the same pool. Therefore, the Irish qualifiers – Leinster Rugby and Munster Rugby – will each be drawn or allocated into separate pools. The same principle applies for the Scottish qualifiers – Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby. Similarly, the Vodacom Bulls, the Hollywoodbets Sharks and the DHL Stormers from South Africa cannot be in the same pool.
- There will be no matches between clubs from the same league, so in order to create the pool stage fixtures, each club will play four matches against four different clubs who are not from the same league, either home or away.
For the purposes of the draw, the clubs will be divided into two tiers, Tier 1 and Tier 2. The four clubs in Tier 1 will be: Union Bordeaux Bègles (2025 Investec Champions Cup winners), Bath Rugby (2025 Gallagher Premiership winners), Leinster Rugby (2025 URC winners), and the TOP 14 winners. If Union Bordeaux Bègles win the TOP 14 title, then the Investec Champions Cup final runners-up, Northampton Saints, will be included in Tier 1.
To start the process, the four Tier 1 clubs will be drawn with the first club out of the drum going into Pool 1, the second club out of the drum going into Pool 2, the third club out of the drum going into Pool 3 and the fourth club out of the drum going into Pool 4.
Adhering to the key principles, the remaining 20 clubs in Tier 2 will then be drawn or allocated into the pools. If a club cannot be drawn into a pool in accordance with the key principles, then the club will be allocated to the next available pool. The process will then re-start at the pool into which the initial club could not be drawn.
EPCR CHALLENGE CUP POOL DRAW
The 2025/26 EPCR Challenge Cup will once again have 18 clubs – eight from the URC, six from the TOP 14, two from the Gallagher Premiership and two invited clubs, Black Lion from Georgia and the Toyota Cheetahs from South Africa – competing in three pools of six, Pool 1, Pool 2 and Pool 3. (See all clubs below)
The following are the key principles integral to the EPCR Challenge Cup draw:
- Each pool of six will contain two TOP 14 clubs.
- As the draw will include three Welsh clubs – Cardiff Rugby, Ospreys and Dragons RFC – each pool will have one Welsh representative.
- The Italian clubs Benetton Rugby and Zebre Parma, who are from the same URC Shield, cannot be in the same pool.
- Connacht Rugby and Ulster Rugby, who are from the same URC Shield, cannot be in the same pool.
- Exeter Chiefs and Newcastle Falcons, the two Gallagher Premiership qualifiers, cannot be in the same pool.
- The Lions from South Africa, as well as the two invited clubs, Black Lion and the Toyota Cheetahs, cannot be in the same pool.
- A maximum of three URC clubs can be included in the same pool
- Clubs will play four different opponents home or away during the pool stage and a limited number of same-league fixtures will be unavoidable.
To start the process, all 18 club balls will be placed in the drum, and any three balls will be drawn separately with the first club out of the drum going into Pool 1, the second club out of the drum going into Pool 2 and the third club out of the drum going into Pool 3.
The draw will then continue on an ‘open’ basis with the next club out of the drum going into Pool 1, the following club out of the drum going into Pool 2, and so on in ascending numerical order until all club balls are drawn or allocated provided that the key principles are adhered to.
If a club cannot be drawn into a pool in accordance with the key principles, then the club will be allocated to the next available pool. The process will then re-start at the pool into which the initial club could not be drawn.
The 2025/26 fixture schedules for both tournaments with dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage will be announced as soon as possible. Fixtures will be determined using an algorithm which will take into consideration league calendar restrictions, individual club calendar restrictions, broadcast requirements and the pool draws.
*2025/26 INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP QUALIFIERS
TOP 14: Stade Toulousain, Union Bordeaux Bègles, RC Toulon, Aviron Bayonnais, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Castres Olympique, Stade Rochelais , Section Paloise
Gallagher Premiership: Bath Rugby, Leicester Tigers, Sale Sharks, Bristol Bears, Gloucester Rugby, Saracens, Harlequins, Northampton Saints
United Rugby Championship: Leinster Rugby, Vodacom Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks, Glasgow Warriors, DHL Stormers, Munster Rugby, Edinburgh Rugby, Scarlets
*The four Tier 1 clubs will be confirmed in advance of the pool draw.
2025/26 EPCR CHALLENGE CUP QUALIFIERS
United Rugby Championship: Cardiff Rugby, Benetton Rugby, Lions, Ospreys, Connacht Rugby, Ulster Rugby, Zebre Parma, Dragons RFC
TOP 14: Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Racing 92, Lyon Olympique Universitaire, Stade Français Paris, USAP, US Montauban
Gallagher Premiership: Exeter Chiefs, Newcastle Falcons
Invited: Black Lion, Toyota Cheetahs
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 2026
Investec Champions Cup Final – San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao; Saturday 23 May 2026