Cape Town gets URC scoop

NEWS: The 2025-26 United Rugby Championship season will underway on September 26.

Round One will kick off in Cape Town, where the 2022 URC champions, the Stormers, will take on the eight-time league winners, Leinster.

Teams from all five competing territories will be in action in the opening weekend, with highlights including Glasgow Warriors hosting Sharks, Scarlets facing Munster, Connacht taking on Benetton and Ospreys visiting the Bulls.

Full written fixtures available here!

The 2025/26 season promises a packed calendar of action, including festive derby rounds which are once again locked in for Rounds Seven, Eight and Nine, while the Race to Eight (play-offs) steps up from Round 13 as teams compete for Champions Cup qualification.

In addition, a range of themed rounds such as Kids Round, Origin Round, and Unity Round will be confirmed in the coming weeks, enhancing the match-day experience for fans and teams alike.

The format of the competition remains unchanged, with the top eight teams progressing to the play-offs beginning May 29.

The semifinals will be played on June 6, followed by the Grand Final on June 20.

“Advance planning is critical to the success of the United Rugby Championship and it is fantastic that we have continued to raise the bar in publishing our fixtures as early as possible,” URC CEO Martin Anayi said.

“For teams and fans, planning their weekends and knowing where their teams are playing so far ahead of time makes a big difference.

“The drama and excitement of the URC is matched by the complexity of putting all of the pieces of the fixture list together.

“For the moment, we look forward to the [2024-25] play-offs that kick off next week after another regular season full of surprises.

“The Race to the Eight provided huge jeopardy and now we move into the ultimate win or go home stage of the competition which will lift the intensity up to another level.”

Touring Windows
* Multi-game tours can take place between Rounds 1–5 and Rounds 13–18
* Single-game tours are scheduled in Rounds 6 and 10, aligning with EPCR windows

Season Schedule
Round One: September 26/27
Round Two: October 3/4
Round Three: October 10/11
Round Four: October 17/18
Round Five: October 24/25
Round Six: November 28/29
Round Seven (Festive Derbies): December 19/20
Round Eight (Festive Derbies): December 26/27
Round Nine (Festive Derbies): January 2/3
Round 10: January 23/24
Round 11: January 30/31
Round 12: February 27/28
Round 13: March 20/21
Round 14: March 27/28
Round 15: April 17/18
Round 16: April 24/25
Round 17: May 8/9
Round 18: May 15/16

Play-off Schedule
Quarterfinals: May 29/30
Semifinals: June 6/7
Grand Final: June 20

Round One Fixtures

Friday, Sep 26

Stormers v Leinster
(Cape Town Stadium – Kick-off: 19.00; 18.00 UK time; 17.00 GMT)

Ulster v Dragons
(Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast – Kick-off: 20.05; 19.05 GMT)

Glasgow Warriors v Sharks
(Scotstoun Stadium – Kick-off: 20.05; 21.05 SA time; 19.05 GMT)

Saturday, Sep 27

Bulls v Ospreys
(Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria – Kick-off: 14.00; 13.00 UK time; 12.00 GMT)

Zebre v Edinburgh
(Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma – 16.05; 15.05 UK time; 14.05 GMT)

Scarlets v Munster
(Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli – Kick-off: 17.30 UK; 16.30 GMT)

Cardiff v Lions
(Arms Park, Cardiff – Kick-off: 19.45; 20.45 SA time; 18.45 GMT)

Connacht v Benetton
(Sportsground, Galway – Kick-off: 19.45; 20.45 Italian time; 18.45 GMT)