When planning your season, the EPCR schedule, the official list of match dates for European Professional Club Rugby competitions, including the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, also known as European Rugby Calendar is the first thing fans, clubs and broadcasters look at. It tells you when the quarter‑finals, semi‑finals and finals happen, and how those fixtures line up with domestic leagues. In plain terms, the schedule maps out when the biggest European club matches are played, letting you set reminders, buy tickets, and follow the action without missing a beat. The EPCR schedule encompasses the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup timelines, requires coordination with national league calendars, and is governed by Rugby Union’s overarching rules.
The core of the EPCR schedule revolves around two tournaments. The first, European Rugby Champions Cup, the premier club competition in Europe, featuring the top teams from the English Premiership, French Top 14 and United Rugby Championship, also called the Heineken Champions Cup, runs from October to May. It requires clubs to earn qualification through their domestic leagues, meaning a strong league performance translates into a spot in the European showdown. The second tournament, EPCR Challenge Cup, the second‑tier competition that gives emerging clubs a chance to compete internationally, often referred to simply as the Challenge Cup, follows a similar calendar but starts a week later, giving teams a clear pathway to progress after the pool stages. Both competitions sit under the umbrella of Rugby Union, the global code that sets the laws, player welfare standards and competition structures for the sport, sometimes listed as World Rugby. Understanding how these entities interact—qualification, match windows, and broadcasting rights—helps you make sense of why a match might be scheduled on a Tuesday one week and a Friday the next.
Fans who follow the EPCR schedule appreciate how it dovetails with other major events. The Six Nations Championship, for example, occupies February and March, so the EPCR schedule often avoids clashes by placing club fixtures on weekends when the international window closes. Broadcasters use the timetable to plan live coverage, and clubs rely on the dates to manage player rotation and travel logistics. The schedule also highlights important milestones: the pool‑stage kickoff, the knockout round dates, and the grand finale at a predetermined venue—usually a city with a strong rugby heritage. Below you’ll find a curated collection of the latest news, match previews, and betting insights that tie directly into these dates, giving you a one‑stop resource to stay ahead of every European club game.
EPCR reveals the 2025/26 rugby calendar, with the Invested Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals set for Bilbao's San Mamés Stadium in May 2026 and Premier Sports securing broadcast rights.
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