SA franchises to start their journey to Spain in December

NEWS: European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have confirmed the dates for the 2025/2026 Champions Cup and Challenge Cup tournaments.

The Challenge Cup Final is set to take place on Friday, May 22 next year with the Champions Cup Final set for the following day on Saturday, May 23.

Bilbao’s spectacular San Mamés Stadium will host the Finals.

With a capacity of 53,000, modern facilities and passionate crowds, it is widely regarded as one of the finest modern sporting stadiums in Europe.

The sport-loving city of Bilbao made history in 2018 by becoming the first destination outside traditional rugby nations to host an EPCR Final.

That year, in front of a capacity crowd, Leinster edged Racing 92 with a 15–12 victory to claim their fourth Champions Cup title.

The day before, San Mamés saw another epic showdown as Cardiff triumphed over Gloucester 31–30 in a thrilling Challenge Cup Final.

The 2025/26 Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup tournaments will once again kick off in December with two consecutive weekends of pool stage action, and the next pool stage rounds will take place over consecutive weekends in January 2026.

The knockout stages will start on the weekend of 03/04/05 April with the Round of 16 matches, followed by the quarterfinals on 10/11/12 April and the semifinals on the weekend of 01/02/03 May 2025.

From a South African point of view, the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers will compete in next season’s Champions Cup after securing a top-eight finish in the United Rugby Championship.

The Lions will compete in the Challenge Cup.

2025/26 weekends

Round One – 05/06/07 December 2025
Round Two – 12/13/14 December 2025
Round Three – 09/10/11 January 2026
Round Four – 16/17/18 January 2026
Round of 16 – 03/04/05 April 2026
Quarterfinals – 10/11/12 April 2026
Semifinals – 01/02/03 May 2026 2026
EPCR Challenge Cup Final – San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao; Friday 22 May
Champions Cup Final – San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao; Saturday 23 May