The landscape of European club rugby is set for a shake-up, after EPCR confirmed the Tier 1 clubs for Wednesday’s 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup pool draw.
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This comes alongside two significant rule changes designed to make qualification races more competitive than ever.
Defending European champions Bordeaux-Bègles, Top 14 winners Toulouse, Gallagher PREM champions Northampton Saints and United Rugby Championship title holders Leinster have all been confirmed as the four Tier 1 clubs.
Each will be placed into separate pools during Wednesday’s draw at Premier Sports’ studios in Dublin, guaranteeing a balanced competition and a host of heavyweight clashes from the opening rounds.
Black Lion and Cheetahs return
EPCR has also confirmed the return of Georgia’s Black Lion and South Africa’s Toyota Cheetahs as invited clubs in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
Black Lion have secured a further two-year invitation after impressing during their previous appearances, while the Cheetahs return to complete the 18-team competition following a successful application process.
The Challenge Cup will feature eight United Rugby Championship clubs, six Top 14 sides, two Gallagher PREM teams, plus the two invited nations, further strengthening the tournament’s international appeal.
Champions Cup knock-out qualification overhauled
The biggest change comes in how clubs qualify for the knockout stages. Previously, the top four teams from each Champions Cup pool automatically progressed to the Round of 16. From next season, only the top three sides in each pool will be guaranteed qualification.
The remaining four knockout places will instead be awarded to the highest-ranked teams across all four pools based on competition points, regardless of where they finish within their own group.
That means a team finishing fourth could still qualify if they outperform fourth-placed teams elsewhere, while another fourth-placed side could miss out altogether.
The next four highest-ranked clubs that fail to reach the Champions Cup knockout stage will continue to drop into the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16.
The same principle will also apply in the Challenge Cup. The top three teams in each pool will qualify automatically, before the remaining three places are awarded to the best-performing teams across all pools. Four clubs eliminated from the Champions Cup will then join the competition at the Round of 16 stage.
Wins now count before points difference
EPCR has also altered the way tied teams are separated. Rather than points difference being the primary tiebreaker, the number of victories will now take precedence.
If two teams finish level on match points, the side with more wins will be ranked higher, with points difference only coming into play if they remain inseparable. The change is intended to reward teams for winning matches rather than simply building large scorelines.
New attacking bonus point system
Another major alteration sees the traditional attacking bonus point scrapped. Instead of earning a bonus point for scoring four tries, teams will now only receive an attacking bonus if they score at least three more tries than their opponents.
For example:
- Win 5 tries to 2 – attacking bonus awarded.
- Win 4 tries to 2 – no attacking bonus.
- Win 6 tries to 3 – attacking bonus awarded.
EPCR believes the new system will encourage teams to keep attacking while also maintaining defensive intensity throughout the full 80 minutes, as conceding late tries could cost a valuable bonus point.
The defensive bonus point remains unchanged, with losing teams still earning one point if they are beaten by seven points or fewer.
Pool draw takes place Wednesday
The 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup pool draws will take place on Wednesday 1 July in Dublin, with the new qualification format and revised bonus point system set to debut when European rugby returns later this year.
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