The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception in 1996 to 2014, it was known as the European Challenge Cup and governed by European Rugby Cup (ERC). Following disagreements in the structure of the tournament's format and division of revenue, the English and French leagues withdrew to form the EPCR, which organized the Challenge Cup and the Champions Cup since the 2014–15 season.
The Challenge Cup is currently contested between 18 teams; 16 of which qualify from the three main European domestic leagues (Premiership Rugby, Top 14, and United Rugby Championship).
Since the 2023–24 season, two teams outside of the western Europe leaguesThe South African teams play in the Europe based United Rugby Championship have been invited to participate in the tournament. These teams are Cheetahs, a South African team who won the 2023 Currie Cup (who use Amsterdam as their home base during the competition) and Georgia's Black Lion, who are the holders of the third-tier Rugby Europe Super Cup. Many more teams had applied to play in the 2024 season of the , but both the Cheetahs and Black Lion have been invited to each tournament since.
Format Qualification 18 teams qualify for the EPCR Challenge Cup in 2023–24.
16 of these teams automatically qualified from the English Premiership Rugby, the French Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship, the 17th and 18th teams are invited to participate. Teams from these leagues that do not qualify for the European Champions Cup, either through league position or through promotion, and (in the case of the Top 14) are not relegated to a lower league, will automatically qualify for the Rugby Challenge Cup. Teams promoted to these leagues take up any remaining Challenge Cup places.
Continental Shield
Until 2019–20 the 19th and 20th teams qualified via a Qualifying Competition, organised by European Professional Club Rugby and Rugby Europe.
For the 2014–15 season, this took the form of a pair of two-legged play-off matches, with the aggregate winner of each taking one of the two Rugby Europe spots in the draw. It involved the two best teams from Italy's Top12, plus a teameach from Romania and Georgia.
An expanded format, which was expected to feature more matches and more nations, for qualification into the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup, and subsequent seasons, was expected to be announced 15 September 2014. However, on 5 September 2014, it was announced that no such competition would take place during the 2014–15 season, and negotiations continue to create the new competition as soon as possible.
Subsequently, on 22 December 2014, EPCR announced negotiations for a new format for the competition had now been completed, and the Qualifying Competition for entry into the 2015–16 Challenge Cup would begin in January.
The expanded format includes clubs from Rugby Europe member unions Russia, Spain and Portugal alongside representatives from the Italian Eccellenza, and is being jointly organised by EPCR, Rugby Europe, and the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR).
The teams in the competition are split into two pools. Each team participates in a pool stage, before the two pool winners compete in a two-legged play-off against the teams currently competing in the Challenge Cup from the previous season.
The winners, on aggregate, of these two play-offs will take up the two final places in the Challenge Cup.
In 2017, the competition was rebranded as the European Rugby Continental Shield, and introduced a final to be held as part of the main finals weekend and contested by the two play-off winners.
Competition Group stage For the pool stage, there are three pools of six teams. The teams are ranked based on domestic league performance the previous season, and arranged into three tiers. Teams are then drawn from the tiers into pools at random. ERCRugby.com. Retrieved 8 June 2014
Teams will play four other teams in their pool, two at home and two away. Match points will be awarded depending on the result of each game. Teams receive four points for a win, and two for a draw. Teams can also earn a try bonus point for scoring four or more tries, and a losing bonus point for losing a match by seven points or fewer.
Following the completion of the pool stage, the top four teams in each pool will qualify for the knock-out stage. They are joined in the round of 16 by the teams placed 5th in each Champions Cup pool.
Knock-out stage
The eight quarter-finalists are ranked – pool winners from 1 to 5, and runners-up from 6 to 8 – based on performance in their respective pool. The four pool winners with the best pool record receive home advantage for the quarter-finals against one of the four lower-ranked teams, in a 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, 4v5 format. Unlike the later formats of the old European Challenge Cup, no teams will drop down into the competition from the Champions Cup.
The winners of the quarter-finals will contest the two semi-finals, the semi-final matches will be determined by criteria, and the winners of the semi-finals will contest the final, which is usually held in May.www.EPCRugby.com – European Rugby Statement
Temporary changes to format Because of the Coronavirus Pandemic the 2020/2021 competition took on a revised format.
A similar format remained for the 2021/22 season, however, the number of teams was increased from 14 to 15 and an additional six will join from the Champions Cup.
The format revision was removed from the 2022/23 season, so with the introduction of South African sides to the EPCR, 16 teams now qualify based on domestic league performance, with two further team invited. For the 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup season, the invited teams will be the South African team, Cheetahs, and Black Lion from Georgia.
Finals
The competition has been dominated by French and English clubs since it was first introduced in 1996, reflecting the historical depth of those two leagues. However, teams from Ireland, Wales and Scotland have all made the final of the Challenge Cup, with the trophy twice being won by Cardiff Rugby from Wales, and once by the Irish provincial side Leinster. In 2024, Sharks, a South African professional franchise from the United Rugby Championship, became the first South African and non-European team to win either of the two major European trophies when it won the 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup, the fourth URC victory in the competition.
+KeyMatch was won during extra time
European Challenge Cup FinalsSeasonWinnersScoreRunners-upVenueReferee1996–97 Bourgoin18–9 Castres Stade de la Méditerranée, Béziers10,000 Patrick Robin1997–98 Colomiers43–5 Agen Stade des Sept Deniers, Toulouse12,500 Ed Morrison1998–99 Montferrand35–16 Bourgoin Stade de Gerland, Lyon31,986 Joël Dumé1999–00 Pau34–21 Castres Stade des Sept Deniers, Toulouse6,000 Chris White2000–01 Harlequins42–33 Narbonne Madejski Stadium, Reading10,013 Nigel Whitehouse2001–02 Sale25–22 Pontypridd Kassam Stadium, Oxford12,000 Alan Lewis2002–03 Wasps48–30 Bath Madejski Stadium, Reading18,074 Nigel Williams2003–04 Harlequins (2)27–26 Montferrand Madejski Stadium, Reading13,123 Nigel Whitehouse2004–05 Sale (2)27–3 Pau Kassam Stadium, Oxford7,230 Alan Lewis2005–06 Gloucester36–34 London Irish The Stoop, London12,053 Nigel Whitehouse2006–07 Clermont (2)Clermont previously won the title under the name of Montferrand.22–16 Bath The Stoop, London10,134 Nigel Owens2007–08 Bath24–16 Worcester Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester16,057 Christophe Berdos2008–09 Northampton15–3 Bourgoin The Stoop, London9,260 George Clancy2009–10 Cardiff28–21 Toulon Stade Vélodrome, Marseille48,990 Alain Rolland2010–11 Harlequins (3)19–18 Stade Français Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff12,236 George Clancy2011–12 Biarritz21–18 Toulon The Stoop, London9,376 Wayne Barnes2012–13 Leinster34–13 Stade Français RDS Arena, Dublin20,396 Nigel Owens2013–14 Northampton (2)30–16 Bath Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff12,483 Jérôme GarcèsEuropean Rugby Challenge Cup Finals2014–15 Gloucester (2)19–13 Edinburgh The Twickenham Stoop, London14,316 Jérôme Garcès2015–16 Montpellier26–19 Harlequins Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon28,556 John Lacey2016–17 Stade Français25–17 Gloucester Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh24,494 John Lacey2017–18 Cardiff (2)31–30 Gloucester San Mamés, Bilbao32,543 Jérôme Garcès2018–19 Clermont (3)36–16 La Rochelle St James' Park, Newcastle28,438 Wayne Barnes2019–20 Bristol32–19 Toulon Stade Maurice David, Aix-en-Provence1,000 Andrew Brace2020–21 Montpellier (2)18–17 Leicester Twickenham Stadium, London10,000 Andrew Brace2021–22 Lyon30–12 Toulon Stade de Marseille, Marseille51,431 Luke Pearce2022–23 Toulon43–19 Glasgow Aviva Stadium, Dublin31,514 Wayne Barnes2023–24 Sharks36–22 Gloucester Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London34,761 Mathieu Raynal2024–25 Bath (2)37–12 Lyon Millennium Stadium, Cardiff36,705 Hollie Davidson2025–26 Montpellier (3)59–26 Ulster San Mamés, Bilbao43,204 Matthew Carley2026–27 Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon
Wins by club ClubWonRunner-upYears wonYears runner-up Clermont311998–99, 2006–07, 2018–192003–04 Harlequins312000–01, 2003–04, 2010–112015–16 Montpellier302015–16, 2020–21, 2025–26 Gloucester232005–06, 2014–152016–17, 2017–18, 2023–24 Bath232007–08, 2024–252002–03, 2006–07, 2013–14 Sale202001–02, 2004–05 Northampton202008–09, 2013–14 Cardiff202009–10, 2017–18 Toulon142022–232009–10, 2011–12, 2019–20, 2021–22 Bourgoin121996–971998–99, 2008–09 Stade Français122016–172010–11, 2012–13 Pau111999–002004–05 Lyon112021–222024–25 Colomiers101997–98 Wasps102002–03 Biarritz102011–12 Leinster102012–13 Bristol102019–20 Sharks102023–24 Castres021996–97, 1999–00 Agen011997–98 Narbonne012000–01 Pontypridd012001–02 London Irish012005–06 Worcester012007–08 Edinburgh012014–15 La Rochelle012018–19 Leicester012020–21 Glasgow012022–23 Ulster012025–26
Wins by nation NationWinnersRunners-up 1316 1310 21 11 10 02
History European Challenge Cup 1996–1999
European rugby competition began with the launch of the Heineken Cup in the summer of 1995.
The Challenge Cup began as the 'European Conference' (later renamed the European Shield) in 1996 with 24 teams from England, France, Italy, Romania, Scotland and Wales divided into four groups of six. All seven of the French teams made it to the quarter-finals with English club Northampton Saints filling the other berth. Predictably, the final was an all-French affair with Bourgoin beating Castres Olympique 18–9 to win the shield.
The following year's competition had an increased entry with eight groups of four teams. Colomiers continued the French dominance of the European Shield, defeating Agen 43–5 in the final.
The absence of English and Scottish clubs in 1998–99 saw the competition reduced to 21 teams divided into three groups of seven teams with representative sides of Spain and Portugal taking part. Once again, a French team was triumphant, with Montferrand beating Bourgoin 35–16 in the final held in Lyon.
With English and Scottish clubs back in the competition in 1999, there were 28 teams split in seven groups of four and London Irish and Bristol reached the semi-finals of the competition, but couldn't prevent another all-French final with Section Paloise crowned champions after a 34–21 defeat of Castres.
2000–2006 The competition structure remained unchanged for the 2000–01 season, although no team from Romania participated. The semi-final draw was an all-English and all-French affair to leave Harlequins and Narbonne contesting the first final on English soil. Harlequins ended French dominance of the European Shield, defeating RC Narbonne 27–26 after extra time in the final.