The 2026–27 EPCR Challenge Cup, often known as the 2026-27 European Challenge Cup, will be the thirteenth edition of the EPCR Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs competing in elite European competition. Including the predecessor competition, the original European Challenge Cup, this will be the 31st edition of European club rugby's second-tier competition.

The final will be played at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon.

The holders going into the 2026–27 season is Montpellier who qualified for the 2026–27 European Rugby Champions Cup.

Format changes for 2026/27 season In June 2026, the tournament organisers confirmed two rule changes to how the format of the tournament works; including a change to the qualification process for the Round of 16 and an adaptation to the bonus points system.

Previously, the top four teams in each pool automatically qualified for the Round of 16. However, as of the 2026–27 season, only the top three teams will automatically qualify for the Round of 16, with the top two, earring a home draw. The remaining four places, will go to the four clubs with the highest number of match points across the competition, regardless of what pool they are in. If two teams are level on points, the deciding factor will now be the number of wins they have, instead of points difference.

Elsewhere, the bonus point system will mirror that of the Top 14, with teams only securing a try-bonus-point, if they score three or more tries more than the opposition. This has changed from the four-try system used since the 2003–04 season.

The changes are designed to enhance the competitiveness and intensity of the Pool stage fixtures by enhancing the battle for qualification to the Round of 16, and ensuring matches stay competitive for longer.

Teams Sixteen teams qualified for the 2026–27 EPCR Challenge Cup from Premiership Rugby, the Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship as a direct result of their domestic league performance having not qualified for the Champions Cup. Two further sides received invitations, South Africa's Cheetahs and Georgia's Black Lion.

The distribution of teams are: England: two teams Teams in the 2025–26 Premiership season that did not qualify for the 2025–26 Champions Cup. France: six teams Teams taking part in the 2025–26 Top 14 season that did not qualify for the 2025–26 Champions Cup. Georgia: one team one team, invited, Black Lion Ireland, Italy, South Africa and Wales: eight teams Eight teams in the 2025–26 United Rugby Championship season that did not qualify for the 2026–27 Champions Cup. This season, these consist of three teams from Wales (Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets), one from Ireland (Ulster Rugby), two from Italy (Benetton and Zebre Parma), one from Scotland Edinburgh), and one from South Africa (Sharks). South Africa: one further team One team, invited, the South African team, Cheetahs.

At the knockout stage, a further four teams will enter the competition from the 2026–27 European Rugby Champions Cup.

Entry Point Invited Pool stage Harlequins Newcastle Red Bulls Bayonne Castres Lyon Perpignan Toulon Vannes Ulster Benetton Zebre Parma Edinburgh Dragons Ospreys Scarlets Sharks Cheetahs Black Lion

Team details Team Coach /Director of Rugby Captain Stadium Capacity Method of qualification Entering at Pool stage Bayonne Arthur Iturria Stade Jean-Dauger 14,370 Top 14 bottom six (12th) Benetton Wayne Pivac Michele Lamaro Stadio Comunale di Monigo 5,000 URC bottom eight (13th) Black Lion Pierre-Henry Broncan Mikheil Meskhi StadiumAvchala Rugby Stadium 27,2232,500 Invited Castres Baptiste Delaporte Stade Pierre-Fabre 12,500 Top 14 bottom six (10th) Cheetahs François Steyn St Helen's (Swansea, Wales) 8,000 Invited Dragons Filo Tiatia Ben Carter Angus O'Brien Rodney Parade 8,700 URC bottom eight (11th) Edinburgh Sean Everitt Magnus Bradbury Matt Currie Hive Stadium 7,800 URC bottom eight (12th) Harlequins Jason Gilmore Cadan Murley Twickenham Stoop 14,800 PREM bottom two (9th) Sharks JP Pietersen André Esterhuizen Hollywoodbets Kings Park 52,000 URC bottom eight (10th) Lyon Baptiste Couilloud Mahmut Stadium 25,000 Top 14 bottom six (11th) Newcastle Red Bulls Dan McFarland Tom Christie Kingston Park 11,200 PREM bottom two (10th) Ospreys Mark Jones Sam Parry Owen Watkin St Helen's 8,000 URC bottom eight (11th) Perpignan Laurent Labit Jerónimo de la Fuente Stade Aimé Giral 14,593 Top 14 bottom six (13th) Scarlets Dwayne Peel Josh Macleod Parc y Scarlets 14,870 URC bottom eight (14th) Toulon Franck Azéma Gaël Fickou Lewis Ludlam David Ribbans Stade Mayol 17,500 Top 14 bottom six (9th) Ulster Richie Murphy Iain Henderson Affidea Stadium 18,196 URC bottom eight (9th) Vannes Francisco Gorrissen Stade de la Rabine 11,303 Pro D2 Champions Zebre Parma Massimo Brunello Alessandro Fusco Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi 5,000 URC bottom eight (16th)

Draw The 2026–27 EPCR Challenge Cup will see the 18 competing clubs drawn into three pools of six. Like previous seasons, the three pools will be made up of six teams, however clubs from the same nation, cannot be in the same pool, apart from France who will have two French teams in each pool - though they will not face each other in the pool stage, and there cannot be more than three teams from the United Rugby Championship in the same pool.

Pool stage

Pool 1

Pool 2

Pool 3

Knockout stage The knockout stage will begin with a single-leg round of 16 matches, consisting of the top 4 teams from each pool, and the teams ranked 5th in each pool of the 2025–26 European Rugby Champions Cup. The round of 16 follows a pre-determined format, while the quarter-finals and semi-finals guarantee home advantage to the higher-ranked team.

Notes

References