EPCR’s 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup places 24 clubs in four pools of six. Three clubs per pool qualify directly for its round of 16. Four more Champions Cup places go to the highest remaining clubs by match points across the pools.
Read the pool as a schedule with four opponents
The field comes from the Gallagher PREM, URC and TOP 14. EPCR’s pool rules specify four different opponents per club, with two games at home and two away. Clubs in the same domestic league do not meet each other during this pool stage. A pool membership list gives six clubs, and the fixture list identifies the four opponents a particular club actually plays.
For a viewer following one club, confirm the competition and the pool fixture before assuming that every possible pairing takes place. The domestic fixture between two clubs can sit next to a Champions Cup game in their calendars. Use the EPCR match entry for the continental competition.
Check automatic places before the cross-pool list
The first three in each of four pools account for 12 automatic round-of-16 places. EPCR then awards four additional places across pools by match points. Check the official combined ranking if your club is outside its pool’s first three. The same fourth-place label can lead to different outcomes depending on the other pools’ results. The published rule can send two remaining clubs from one pool through if both rank among the four selected across all pools.
The next four in that cross-pool selection route receive Challenge Cup round-of-16 places. Once all pool outcomes are complete, use the organiser’s accepted destination and seed. The Champions Cup’s top eight seeds host the round-of-16 fixtures under the published rules.
Find the next confirmed game
Save the 2026/27 edition, pool position and final knockout destination. If a club advances through a wildcard, include the resulting seed when looking up the fixture. An older top-four-per-pool graphic describes another edition. The current EPCR table and bracket supply the advancement route for this one.