European finals to return to France as Saints face October start
EPCR, the tournament organiser of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, has confirmed key dates for the 2026/27 season, with the EPCR finals weekend set to take place on Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22 in the French city of Lyon.
The pool draws will take place on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, setting the scene for the pool stages, which will get underway on Friday, October 16, in a return to an October start.
Round 2 will remain in its usual December window.
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 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 Challenge Cup trophy.
EPCR CEO Jacques Raynaud said: “We are pleased to confirm next season’s key dates for the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup.
"The 2026/27 season, starting once again in October as our competitions did pre-Covid, will build to a wonderful finale in Lyon’s superb OL Stadium, where we will return after a successful finals weekend in 2016.
"We are delighted to be returning to this venue, which has already staged EPCR finals, Rugby World Cup and Six Nations matches.
“The road to Lyon will get underway on Wednesday, July 1, when we will broadcast the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup pool draws live from Premier Sports’ studio, and we thank our UK and Ireland broadcast partner for their support in delivering this key element in mapping out the pool stages.
“We are also excited to see the opening round of those pool stages return to the pre-Covid October slot, a recommendation put forward by EPCR and unanimously agreed by the three Leagues, 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.”
The key dates for the EPCR 2026/27 season are as follows…
Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup pool draws: Wednesday, July 1
2026/27 match weekends
Round 1 - October 16/17/18, 2026
Round 2 - December 11/12/13, 2026
Round 3 - January 8/9/10, 2027
Round 4 - January 15/16/17, 2027
Round of 16 - April 2/3/4, 2027
Quarter-finals - April 9/10/11, 2027
Semi-finals - April 30, May 1/2, 2027
Lyon 2027 finals weekend, OL Stadium
EPCR Challenge Cup final: Friday, May 21 2027
Investec Champions Cup final: Saturday, May 22 2027