Publication date: 27 Oct 2022
About the European Challenge Cup
The European Rugby Challenge Cup (ERCC) is a club tournament for European rugby-15 teams that has been held annually since 2014. After the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, the European Challenge Cup is the second most important competition. The Challenge Cup is currently played between 20 teams. The French team Lyon is the reigning champion of the Challenge Cup, having beaten Toulon 2021-2022.
Rugby Challenge Cup 2025/2026
When will it be?
EPCR Challenge Cup 2025/2026 tournament will traditionally start in December 2025 and will end with the final in the spring of 2026, approximately in May.
The group stage, playoffs and final will be held in several European countries, including France, England and other rugby nations. The exact date and place of the final match will be announced by the organizers in the near future on the official website.
Who will participate?
The 2025/2026 season is expected to feature 18 clubs from various national championships:
- France (TOP 14): teams that did not qualify for the Champions Cup;
- England (Premiership Rugby): traditional representatives with a rich history;
- Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy and South Africa (URC): participants in the United Rugby Championship;
- Spain, Portugal, Romania and other developing countries can also send their representatives through the qualification.
Regular participants in recent seasons include clubs such as Toulon, Gloucester, Zebre Parma, Dragons RFC and Pau.
Tournament favorites
The following clubs can be considered among the contenders for the title in the 2025/2026 season:
- RC Toulon (France): one of the strongest clubs in the TOP 14 with a wealth of experience in international meetings;
- Gloucester Rugby (England): a former champion of the tournament with a strong squad;
- Edinburgh Rugby (Scotland): a team with a quality attack and stable play;
- Benetton Rugby (Italy): regularly making it to the later stages of the tournament;
- Cheetahs (South Africa): participants by special invitation, who know how to surprise.
The emergence of new teams and the return of old giants promises a heated battle for the title.
History of the ERCC
The Challenge Cup originally started as the European Conference and was later renamed the European Shield. The Burgoyne team won by a score of 18-9. Over the years, the number of participants has changed more or less. Eventually, the format of the league has also changed, with the tournament becoming a knock-out competition in 2002.
From 2014 onwards, the rules and regulations have been in force. It was in 2014 that the basic regulations for the creation of the three tournaments were signed:
- UEFA Champions League;
- European Challenge Cup;
- Qualifying competitions.
Since 2014, the ERCC has been represented by several major sponsors such as Heineken (2014-present), Turkish Airlines (2015-present), Google Youtube (2014-present). The uniforms are provided to the athletes by Canterbury.
Previous winners of ERCC tournaments
| The year | Venue | Results/winning team |
| 2023/24 | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London (England) | Sharks |
| 2022/23 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Ireland) | Toulon |
| 2021/22 | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (France) | Lyon |
2026/27 European Challenge Cup
There is no information yet about the 10th ERCC. The exact dates and venues will be announced at a later date.
Keep an eye on the dates of rugby tournaments and other events in our Sporting Events Calendar.
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