EPCR Announces 2025/26 Season Dates
A view of the Champions Cup trophy at the recent semi-final between Leinster and Northampton Saints at the Aviva Stadium ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
EPCR has confirmed that the EPCR Challenge Cup final will be played on Friday, May 22 next year, with the showpiece Investec Champions Cup final set for the following day on Saturday, May 23 in the vibrant city of Bilbao in northern Spain.
Bilbao’s spectacular San Mamés Stadium is one of Spain’s most iconic sporting venues. With a capacity of 53,000, modern facilities and passionate crowds, it is widely regarded as one of the finest modern sporting stadiums in Europe.
The sport-loving city of Bilbao made history in 2018 by becoming the first destination outside traditional rugby nations to host an EPCR final.
That year, in front of a capacity crowd, Leinster edged out Racing 92 with a 15-12 victory to claim their fourth Investec Champions Cup title.
The day before, San Mamés saw another epic showdown as Cardiff triumphed over Gloucester, winning 31–30 in a thrilling EPCR Challenge Cup decider.
The 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup tournaments will once again kick off in December with two consecutive weekends of pool stage action. The next rounds of pool matches will take place over consecutive weekends in January 2026.
The knockout stages will start on the weekend of April 3-5 with the round of 16 games, followed by the quarter-finals on April 10-12, and the semifinals on the weekend of May 1-3.
Ticket information for the Bilbao 2026 finals weekend will be released ahead of the upcoming EPCR Challenge Cup final and Investec Champions Cup final, which take place on Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24 respectively, at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
The last remaining tickets for the Cardiff finals are available to buy online here.
2025/26 EPCR MATCH WEEKENDS:
Round 1 – December 5/6/7, 2025
Round 2 – December 12/13/14, 2025
Round 3 – January 9/10/11, 2026
Round 4 – January 16/17/18, 2026
Round Of 16 – April 3/4/5, 2026
Quarter-Finals – April 10/11/12, 2026
Semi-Finals – May 1/2/3, 2026
2026 EPCR Challenge Cup Final – San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, Friday, May 22
2026 Investec Champions Cup Final – San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, Saturday, May 23