The 2026–27 Top 14 season () is the 128th edition of the French Rugby Union Championship, known as the Top 14. For the 22nd consecutive year, it features fourteen teams. The season began on 5 September 2026, and is scheduled to end on 26 June 2027 during the final for the French championship title.
Background Format The competition format remains unchanged from the previous season (2025–26) and is divided into two distinct phases.
Phase one comprises the regular season, with each team scheduled to face every other side twice, once at home and once away. From September 5 to December 27, 2026, each club will contest the first half of its fixtures, hosting each opponent once. The corresponding return fixtures will then be played between January 2 and June 6, 2027, completing the regular-season programme.
Phase two determines both the championship and European qualification. At the conclusion of the regular season, the six highest-ranked teams on the league table will advance to the play-offs, where they will compete for the French title. The Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux was announced as the venue to host the semi-finals, with the Stade de France to host the final.
At the opposite end of the table, the team finishing in 13th place will enter a single-match promotion/relegation play-off against the runners-up from the Pro D2, with their place in the Top 14 at stake.
European qualification is also determined by the final league standings. The eight highest-placed teams will automatically qualify for the 2027–28 Champions Cup, while teams finishing between ninth and 12th place will secure qualification for the 2027–28 Challenge Cup.
Points system
The Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) uses a slightly different bonus points system from that used in most other rugby competitions. It trialled a new system in 2007–08 explicitly designed to prevent a losing team from earning more than one bonus point in a match, a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.
Four competition points are awarded for a win, two for a draw, with one competition bonus point awarded for a loss within seven points, and one bonus point also awarded for scoring at least three tries more than the opponent in a match.
Teams The teams involved in the competition are the top twelve in the standings from the previous edition, as well as Vannes, promoted from the Pro D2, and Perpignan, winner of the promotion/relegation play-off against Provence.
Stadiums and locations
Note: Table lists in alphabetical order. Team Location Stadium Capacity Bayonne Bayonne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine Stade Jean-Dauger 16,934 Bordeaux Bègles Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine Stade Chaban-Delmas 33,500 Castres Castres, Occitania Stade Pierre-Fabre 12,500 Clermont Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Stade Marcel-Michelin 19,022 La Rochelle La Rochelle, Nouvelle-Aquitaine Stade Marcel-Deflandre 17,900 Lyon Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Stade de Gerland 25,000 Montpellier Montpellier, Occitania Septeo Stadium 15,697 Pau Pau, Nouvelle-Aquitaine Stade du Hameau 14,588 Perpignan Perpignan, Occitania Stade Aimé Giral 14,593 Racing 92 La Défense, Île-de-France (Grand Paris) Plenitude Arena 30,681 Stade Français 16th arrondissement of Paris, Île-de-France Stade Jean-Bouin 20,000 Toulon Toulon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Stade Mayol 18,200 Toulouse Toulouse, Occitania Stade Ernest-Wallon 18,754 Vannes Vannes, Brittany Stade de la Rabine 11,303
Personnel Team Coach Captain Bayonne Gerard Fraser Bordeaux Bègles Yannick Bru Maxime Lucu Castres Xavier Sadourny Baptiste Delaporte Clermont Christophe Urios Baptiste Jauneau La Rochelle Ronan O'Gara Grégory Alldritt Lyon Karim Ghezal Montpellier Joan Caudullo Lenni Nouchi Pau Sébastien Piqueronies Beka Gorgadze Perpignan Laurent Labit Jerónimo de la Fuente Racing 92 Patrice Collazo Ibrahim Diallo Stade Français Paul Gustard Paul Gabrillagues Toulon Franck Azéma Toulouse Ugo Mola Antoine Dupont Vannes Jean-Noël Spitzer Francisco Gorrissen
Personnel changes Team Outgoing coach Date of vacancy Incoming coach Toulon Pierre Mignoni June 2026 Franck Azéma Bayonne Grégory Patat Gerard Fraser
Table
Results
Promotion/relegation play-off
Play-offs
Qualifying finals
Semi-finals
Final
Player statistics
Points scorers
Player Team 1 Maxime Lucu 19 2 Léo Berdeu 17 3 Harry Plummer 16 4 Nolann Le Garrec 15 5 Melvyn Jaminet 14 6 Joe Simmonds 12 Thomas Ramos 8 Antoine Aucagne 11 9 Six players 10
Try scorers
Player Team 1 Gabin Lorre 2 Louis Bielle-Biarrey Cameron Woki Rayan Rebbadj Tom Willis 6 Thirty eight players 1
Notes
References