What’s happening?

European club rugby returns this weekend, with Munster and Leinster starting their campaigns in the Champions Cup while Ulster and Connacht will battle in the Challenge Cup.

What formats do the competitions follow?

The Champions Cup is made up of 24 teams (eight from each of the URC, Premiership and Top 14) divided into four pools of six. Each side will play four pool fixtures, with the four top teams from each pool qualifying for the Round of 16.

The Challenge Cup has 18 teams divided into three pools of six. Each team will also play four pool fixtures and the four top teams from each pool qualify for the Round of 16. The four fifth-place pool finishers from the Champions Cup drop down to fill the remaining last-16 spots.

Why are Connacht and Ulster in the Challenge Cup?

Irish provinces qualify for the Champions Cup by finishing in the top eight in the previous season’s URC.

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Leinster and Munster qualified for this season’s Champions Cup by finishing first and sixth respectively in the 2024/25 URC league standings. Connacht and Ulster missed out, finishing 13^th and 14^th respectively, meaning they will instead compete in the second-tier Challenge Cup.

The top-two finishers in each Champions Cup pool get a home Round of 16 draw, as do the top-three pool finishers in the Challenge Cup.

When do the games take place?

Champions and Challenge Cup fixtures are staged on the same weekends, with this season’s pool matches taking place on the first two weekends of December and the second and third weekends of January.

The Round of 16 games in both competitions will be played on the weekend of April 3^rd-5^th, followed by the quarter-finals on the weekend of April 10th-12^th and the semis on the weekend of May 1^st-3^rd.

The Champions Cup final will be held at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain on Saturday, May 23^rd, following the Challenge Cup decider at the same venue a day earlier.

Where, when and who are the four provinces playing?

Leinster

(Pool 3 – La Rochelle, Stormers, Leicester, Harlequins & Bayonne)

Pool stage, game 1: Harlequins (H) – Saturday, December 6^th, 5.30pm

Pool stage, game 2: Leicester (A) – Friday, December 12^th, 8pm

Pool stage, game 3: La Rochelle (H) – Saturday, January 10^th, 5.30pm

Pool stage, game 4: Bayonne (A) – Saturday, January 17^th, 3.15pm

Munster

(Pool 2 – Bath, Castres, Edinburgh, Gloucester & Toulon)

Pool stage, game 1: Bath (A) – Saturday, December 6^th, 8pm

Pool stage, game 2: Gloucester (H) – Saturday, December 13^th, 5.30pm

Pool stage, game 3: Toulon (A) – Sunday, January 11^th, 1pm

Pool stage, game 4: Castres (H) – Saturday, January 17^th, 5.30pm

Connacht

(Pool 1 – Black Lion, Montpellier, Ospreys, Montauban & Zebre)

Pool stage, game 1: Ospreys (A) – Sunday, December 7^th, 3.15pm

Pool stage, game 2: Black Lion (H) – Saturday, December 13^th, 8pm

Pool stage, game 3: Montpellier (A) – Sunday, January 11^th, 1pm

Pool stage, game 4: Montauban (H) – Saturday January 17^th, 8pm

Ulster

(Pool 3 – Cardiff, Cheetahs, Exeter, Racing 92 & Stade Francais)

Pool stage, game 1: Racing 92 (H) – Friday, December 5^th, 8pm

Pool stage, game 2: Cardiff (A) – Saturday, December 13^th, 8pm

Pool stage, game 3: Cheetahs (A) – Sunday, January 11th, 3.15pm

Pool stage, game 4: Stade Francais (H) – Saturday, January 17^th, 1pm

Where can I watch the provinces in action?

There will be no European rugby shown live on free-to-air television this season, with Premier Sport broadcasting all the pool games involving the four provinces across the two competitions.

More widely, they’ll also show the other Champions Cup pool matches not involving Leinster or Munster, so long as they don’t clash with Connacht or Ulster’s Challenge Cup games.