The Investec Champions Cup will return to an October start next season.
EPCR on Friday confirmed key dates for the 2026-27 season, with the finals weekend set to take place on Friday, 21 May and Saturday, 22 May in the French sporting capital of Lyon.
The pool draws will take place on Wednesday, 1 July, setting the scene for the pool stage, which will get underway on Friday, 16 October. Round two will remain in its usual December window.
“We are excited to see the opening round of the pool stage return to the pre-Covid October slot, a recommendation put forward by EPCR and unanimously agreed by the three leagues [French Top 14, English Premiership and Vodacom URC], with EPCR competitions part of the club rugby dynamic from the start of the season in a move that is welcomed by fans and commercial partners alike,” said EPCR CEO Jacques Raynaud.
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French cities have staged the Champions Cup final on five occasions, and in 2027, Lyon will once again host the biggest weekend in club rugby at the 59,186-seat OL Stadium, located in the east of the Metropole – marking the second time the stadium has welcomed the final after first doing so in 2016.
On that memorable weekend, a capacity crowd watched Saracens defeat Racing 92 21-9, to claim the first of their three titles, while Montpellier overcame Harlequins 26-19 to lift their first EPCR Challenge Cup trophy.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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