EPCR Tournament Pool Draws To Take Place In Cardiff On July 2
The Investec Champions Cup final will be held next yeat Cardiff's Principality Stadium, which last hosted the decider when Toulon and Saracens clashed in 2014 ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
Following the recent announcement of Cardiff’s Principality Stadium as the venue for the 2025 finals weekend, it has been confirmed that the EPCR Challenge Cup final will be played on Friday, May 23 next year, with the showpiece Investec Champions Cup final set to go ahead the following day on Saturday, May 24.
Cardiff has a long and illustrious connection with the tournaments having staged high-profile Heineken Cup/Champions Cup deciders on seven previous occasions – the last being in 2014 – and next year’s event at the 74,000-capacity stadium will celebrate the 30th edition of the elite final.
The Challenge Cup decider has been held in the Welsh capital on two previous occasions – 2011 and 2014 – and 2025 will be the first time that the two Cardiff finals are played at the same venue. Tickets for the matches are currently on sale via www.epcrugby.com.
Meanwhile, the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup tournaments will continue with the same pool stage format as last season.
The competitions will kick off in December with two consecutive rounds of action, followed by rounds 3 and 4 on consecutive weekends in January 2025.
The pool draws for the 2024/25 tournaments will take place in Cardiff on Tuesday, July 2, and will be live streamed on www.epcrugby.com.
The broadcast will start with the draw for the EPCR Challenge Cup pools, involving Connacht, at 11am Irish time, and will be followed at approximately 11.20am by the draw for the Investec Champions Cup pools, with Munster, Ulster, and Leinster, this season’s beaten finalists, all featuring.
2024/25 INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP QUALIFIERS:
Top 14 – Toulouse, Stade Français Paris, Bordeaux-Begles, Toulon, La Rochelle, Racing 92, Castres Olympique, Clermont Auvergne
BKT United Rugby Championship – MUNSTER, Vodacom Bulls, LEINSTER, Glasgow Warriors, DHL Stormers, ULSTER, Benetton, Hollywoodbets Sharks
Gallagher Premiership – Northampton Saints, Bath, Sale Sharks, Saracens, Bristol Bears, Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers
2024/25 EPCR CHALLENGE CUP QUALIFIERS:
Top 14 – Pau, Perpignan, Lyon, Bayonne, Montpellier or Grenoble, Vannes
BKT United Rugby Championship – Ospreys, Emirates Lions, Edinburgh, CONNACHT, Cardiff, Scarlets, Dragons, Zebre Parma
Gallagher Premiership – Gloucester, Newcastle Falcons
** Invited – Two teams to be confirmed shortly
2024/25 MATCH WEEKENDS:
Round 1 – December 6/7/8
Round 2 – December 13/14/15
Round 3 – January 10/11/12
Round 4 – January 17/18/19
Round of 16 – April 4/5/6
Quarter-finals – April 11/12/13
Semi-finals – May 2/3/4
2025 EPCR Challenge Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff; Friday, May 23
2025 Investec Champions Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff; Saturday, May 24
The four tier 1 teams in the Investec Champions Cup, and the full list of EPCR Challenge Cup sides, will be confirmed in advance of the pool draws.