Pools Confirmed | Champions & Challenge Cup Draw Complete

July 01, 2026
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Ultimate Rugby

The stage is set for another blockbuster Investec Champions Cup campaign, with the draw producing four mouth-watering pools packed with champions, historic rivals and European heavyweights.

Tier 1 clubs – defending champions Union Bordeaux Bègles, TOP 14 winners Stade Toulousain, Gallagher PREM champions Northampton Saints and United Rugby Championship winners Leinster Rugby – were each drawn into separate pools, laying the foundations for a thrilling race to the knockout stages.

Four-time champions and last season's runners-up Leinster Rugby were the first club out of the drum and headline a fiercely competitive Pool 1. They will renew their rivalries against Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers, alongside Section Paloise and ASM Clermont Auvergne. Fellow URC powerhouse Glasgow Warriors completes the Pool.

Record six-time champions Stade Toulousain lead the way in Pool 2, where they'll be joined by competition newcomers Lions, three-time champions Saracens, two-time winners Stade Rochelais, 2020 champions Exeter Chiefs and Connacht Rugby, who return to the premier club competition for the first time since the 2023/24 season.

Fresh from lifting their second Investec Champions Cup title, defending champions Union Bordeaux Bègles top Pool 3. They are joined by DHL Stormers, Racing 92, Munster Rugby, Bristol Bears and Gloucester Rugby in another stacked group.

Pool 4 promises no shortage of drama, with Northampton Saints leading the way alongside last season’s semi-finalists, fellow Gallagher PREM club Bath Rugby. Cardiff Rugby, reigning EPCR Challenge Cup champions Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Stade Français Paris and the Vodacom Bulls complete a pool loaded with quality and knockout-stage ambitions.

Investec Champions Cup

Pool 1:

Leinster Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Section Paloise, Sale Sharks, Leicester Tigers, ASM Clermont Auvergne

Pool 2:

Stade Toulousain, Lions, Saracens, Stade Rochelais, Exeter Chiefs, Connacht Rugby

Pool 3:

Union Bordeaux Bègles, DHL Stormers, Racing 92, Munster Rugby, Bristol Bears, Gloucester Rugby

Pool 4:

Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Cardiff Rugby, Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Stade Français Paris, Vodacom Bulls

The draw served up three fascinating EPCR Challenge Cup pools, with plenty of heavyweight clashes and intriguing storylines to look forward to.

Invited South African side Toyota Cheetahs were the first club out of the drum, going in Pool 1 alongside 2026 runners-up Ulster Rugby, USAP, last season's semi-finalists Dragons RFC, Aviron Bayonnais and Zebre Parma.

Pool 2 is equally as stacked, with Benetton Rugby set to renew their rivalry with 2022 champions LOU Rugby after the sides also met in last season's pool stages. They are joined by Newcastle Red Bulls, 2024 winners Hollywoodbets Sharks, Castres Olympique and Scarlets, creating another fiercely competitive group.

Ospreys head up Pool 3 after being the first team drawn, alongside Edinburgh Rugby, Black Lion, three-time Challenge Cup winners Harlequins – the competition's joint most successful club – 2023 champions RC Toulon and RC Vannes, who return to the tournament again after debuting in the 2024/25 season. With European pedigree, returning contenders and emerging challengers all in the mix, Pool 3 looks set to deliver some of the competition's standout encounters.

With the Pools now set, fixture schedules for both tournaments including dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage will be announced later this month. Fixtures are determined following the input of individual club calendar and venue considerations, broadcast requirements and league calendar restrictions into an algorithm with the outcomes of today’s Pool Draws, all of which are considered to deliver the optimum fixture schedules.