Saints face four Sunday matches and two trips to France in Champions Cup

The dates and kick-off times were announced on Tuesday morning, and Phil Dowson's men now know they must travel to Section Paloise and the team that beat them in last season's Champions Cup final, Union Bordeaux Bègles.

Saints will welcome Vodacom Bulls and Scarlets to cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, in December and January respectively.

All four of the black, green and gold's Pool 4 fixtures will be played on Sundays.

The opening match sees Saints go to Section Paloise on Sunday, December 7 (kick-off 1pm BST).

They then return home to host Vodacom Bulls on Sunday, December 14 (kick-off 3.15pm BST).

Saints' third match of the campaign will be a tasty renewal of rivalries with Bordeaux, who took real issue with Henry Pollock after last season's Champions Cup final.

The clash with Bordeaux at Stade Chaban-Delmas comes on Sunday, January 11 (kick-off 3.15pm BST).

Saints will conclude their pool stage campaign with a game at home to Scarlets on Sunday, January 18 (kick-off 3.15pm BST).

Saints won three of their four pool clashes last term, defeating Castres Olympique (38-8) and Munster Rugby (34-32) at the Gardens while also securing an historic victory in South Africa with a 30-21 win over the Bulls.

Saints continued their winning home run into the knockout stages as they steamed past ASM Clermont Auvergne (46-24) and then Castres for a second time (51-16), before another historic victory came in form of a win in Dublin, where they claimed a 34-37 victory over Leinster.

The result sealed Northampton’s first appearance in the Investec Champions Cup final in more than a decade, though Saints eventually lost out to Bordeaux (28-20) in the showpiece final in Cardiff.

Saints’ 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup fixtures

Round 1: Section Paloise vs Saints – Sunday, December 7 (kick-off: 1pm BST) – Stade du Hameau

Round 2: Saints vs Vodacom Bulls – Sunday, December 14 (kick-off: 3.15pm BST) – cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens

Round 3: Union Bordeaux Bègles vs Saints – Sunday, January 11 (kick-off: 3.15pm BST) – Stade Chaban-Delmas

Round 4: Saints vs Scarlets – Sunday, January 18 (kick-off: 3.15pm BST) – cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens

Round of 16: April 3/4/5, 2026

Quarter-finals: April 10/11/12, 2026

Semi-finals: May 1/2/3, 2026

Investec Champions Cup final: Saturday, May 23, San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao