The draw for the 2025-26 EPCR Challenge Cup will take place on Tuesday July 1 in Dublin.

Held at Premier Sports Studios, the event starts at 1.30pm UK time and will be streamed live on the EPCR website alongside the Investec Champions Cup draw.

The 18 clubs will be split into three pools of six, playing four group games against four different teams from their own pool.

At the conclusion of the EPCR Challenge Cup pool stage the four highest-ranked clubs in Pools 1, 2 and 3, and the fifth-ranked clubs from each of the four Investec Champions Cup pools, will qualify for the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16.

Tournament weekends:

Round 1 – December 5/6/7
Round 2 – December 12/13/14
Round 3 – January 9/10/11
Round 4 – January 16/17/18

Round of 16 – April 3/4/5
Quarter-finals – April 10/11/12
Semi-finals – May 1/2/3
Final – Friday May 22 (San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao)

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 Prem and two invited clubs – Black Lion from Georgia and Toyota Cheetahs from South Africa.

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 Prem 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 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 Prem: Exeter Chiefs, Newcastle Falcons.

Invited: Black Lion, Toyota Cheetahs.